Wavering Humanity
by BeautifulWonderland256
Summary: Light has regained his memories and has all his pieces right where he wants them to be. The only thing is now, to his dismay, he's began to question the authenticity of his ideals. Is L right? Are his ideals flawed? Fighting between being Light or Kira, his situation is complicated by the appearance of a new Kira who calls itself Death and is after both L and Kira's lives. LXL.
1. Chapter 1: To be or not to be Kira

**Recently I've gotten into Death note again :P Immediately I fell in love with the L X Light pairing, so naturally I couldn't not write a fanfiction about it. Especially since I had so many ideas revolving around the show constantly ignoring me.**

**Anyway, this chapter is a bit dull considering I had to establish a time and show you all how Light is taking a different approach to regaining his memories in this story than how he did in the anime/manga. **

**The first part of this story takes place sometime during the time in which L and Light were handcuffed together and the second part is just a day or so after they capture the Yotsuba Kira. It is there that the story changes and diverts from the original plotline, so you should expect that. This is an AU 'what is' setting where instead of reverting back to his original train of thought about Kira's righteousness he begins to wonder if what he is doing really is Justice. This is thanks to spending so much time around the task force and L.**

**So, yeah, I think that just about covers it. If you have any more questions as to the setting than don't hesitate to ask.**

Light groaned aloud and dropped the folder of papers he was rifling through onto the desk, his hands coming up instead to rub at his temples, a headache already forming.

He had been going through Kira case papers for hours now and he could feel his anger rise at the person who was committing all these heinous crimes. He just couldn't understand how anyone in their right mind could kill so many people so easily… I mean… Did they feel no guilt?  
>He shook his head slightly, mentally knowing the answer.<p>

No… Light supposed they didn't… But then again, even Light had a part of himself that agreed with the individual's actions… After all, it wasn't as though he was killing purely innocent people… Well, that is besides the FBI agents, which still annoyed the brunette, seeing as he thought their deaths were completely unnecessary.

But, despite the few unrighteous deaths, he had to admit that this Kira fellow did seem to harvest several ideals that were similar to his own. The mass murderer saw the world as rotten as it was and was attempting to change it by wringing out the bad and a part of the teen admired the human for it.

However the justice side of Light reprimanded himself for even beginning to think that what the murderer was doing was right by any means, I mean, even a criminal's life was worth something, wasn't it? They were still human. Just who was this guy and what made him think that he could play god? And just how the hell was he managing to kill people?

He groaned inwardly again in frustration and rubbed harder at his temples, closing his eyes. Absolutely none of this was adding up and Light didn't like it. He hated not knowing something and he could swear that this case would prove to be his undoing.

"Is something wrong, Light-Kun?"

"No, I'm fine…" The teen mumbled, begrudgedly opening his eyes to look at the raven haired detective perched in the chair beside his own, his black eyes gazing intently at the stressed teen.

"Light-Kun does not look fine. In fact Light-Kun looks unhappy. Is it because he misses killing people?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Ryuuzaki, but for the last time I am not Kira, so stop talking about it already."

"My apology, but Light-Kun is still a suspect so I am afraid I cannot stop."

"Isn't there any way I can prove to that that I am not Kira?" The brunette growled, struggling to keep his anger at bay. Certainly the detective was annoying but he in no way deserved to be hit… At least not at the moment… Besides, it would be unfair of the teen to take his anger out at the monotone man, no matter how irritating he could be.

"As I have told Light-Kun before, if he is as innocent as he says then he will have no need to prove anything to me. Instead he must just allow time to pass until we discover who Kira really is." L explained passively, plopping a cherry into his mouth and chewing on it before mumbling the next line, his words muffled by the fruit, "However I am almost certain that Light-Kun is Kira, so I suppose that shall not be helpful to his case."

"You know I can hear what you are saying."

Seething, the younger of the two men clenched his fists and narrowed his chocolate brown eyes at the insomniac, briefly wondering just how many times he could punch the man before either Watari intervened or L kicked back

"Yes, I am aware that Light-Kun can hear. I was not trying to make it so he could not."

Tching, Light stood up from his chair and began to walk away, the chain tugging at his wrist the only thing stopping him from leaving the room.

"Where precisely is Light-Kun going? Did he forget that he is handcuffed?"  
>"No, Ryuuzaki, I did not forget." The teen sneered, his expression apathetic as he glanced over his shoulder at the crouched detective, "It is late and unlike you I actually need sleep."<br>"I see… I forget that Light-Kun is unable to go without sleep like myself…"  
>"Just because you can do it doesn't mean it's healthy, Ryuuzaki."<p>

"Yes, so Light-Kun has said."  
>Rolling his eyes, the brunette waited as the detective switched from the desktop to the laptop before following Light into the bedroom.<p>

Silently the raven unlocked the teen's handcuff, allowing him to change into pajamas, his gaze never leaving the boy, even when he assured Light that he had turned around so that the teen could have his privacy.

After all, L didn't understand why the teen valued privacy so much. He had seen the boy naked countless times when he watched the Yagami household for those few days. It wasn't as though it was something new. However the detective would be lying if he said the view was old. In fact, Ryuuzaki figured that he enjoyed watching the slender man change, captivated by his soft, almost childlike skin that looked nearly sinfully perfect.

The young Yagami was a beautiful specimen, that the insomniac could not deny nor did he try to, after all, he was not blind. Anyone with eyes would agree with him on that one. It was nothing more than an observation. He certainly did not think about touching that flat stomach or that strong chest or even those lovely lips that looked like they would taste like the sweetest cake….

Certainly not...

Quickly turning around when he saw the man he was admiring move, the detective turned his attention to the far wall, pretending as though that was what he was looking at the whole time.

"Okay, you can turn around now, Ryuuzaki."

Soundlessly the raven did just that, slightly disappointed to find that the teen's tight shirt and pants had been replaced by a black looser tee and red lounging pants with skulls imprinting the length of the legs and waistband, clothes that had been the curtesy of L when Light first moved into the building with him. L had figured they fit the murderer well.

"How does Light-Kun like his pajamas?" The detective asked, feigning innocence as he walked over and perched on the bed, his laptop temporarily forgotten as he stared blankly at Light.

"They're comfortable." The brunette admitted, "But I don't like the skulls. Very funny, Ryuuzaki."

"Thank you, Light-Kun, but you know better than anyone else that I do not do jokes."  
>"You could have fooled me…"<br>Irritated and beyond exhausted, Light crawled onto his side of the bed and laid down, listening soundlessly for the familiar tune of L typing on his computer to lull him to sleep.

However this time, for some reason, the room remained eerily quiet, even after minutes of waiting for some sort of noise.

Confused, the former Kira rolled over to glance at Ryuuzaki's side of the bed, about to ask the detective what he was doing, only to find the man in question gazing intensely at him, his thumb pressed up against his mouth as though he was in thought.

"Ryuuzaki?"

"Yes, Light-Kun?"

"What are you doing…?"  
>"I am doing nothing, Light-Kun."<br>"I can see that…"  
>Feeling slightly awkward by the steady look directed at him, the teenager attempted to ignore the sensation in favor of going to sleep.<p>

It was only when he was on the verge of falling into unconsciousness that L spoke again, waking Light up once more.

"Light-Kun…?"

"Mm…" Turning to lay on his back tiredly, the teen opened his eyes just enough to look at the man beside him, "Yeah? What is it, Ryuuzaki?"

"I was wondering… What is Light-Kun's opinion of Kira?"  
>Groaning outwardly at the question, Light tiredly rubbed at his eyes, his sleep ridden mind in no shape to process all his thoughts of the serial killer.<p>

"I've already told you what I think of Kira before… Can't this wait till tomorrow…?"

"No, Light-Kun, it cannot."  
>Sighing in defeat, the seventeen year old merely shrugged and looked at the insomniac with lazy eyes,<p>

"I think that although his actions are no doubt meant to be for the good of mankind his sense of justice is seriously flawed. I mean, I get why he feels like criminals need to die, after all that's not too different from my own ideals, but that still doesn't give him any right to play god like he is. A human's life is precious no matter what they have done. That's why we have to catch him."  
>A few moments of silence passed between the two, making Light wonder if the other was even listening to him when suddenly another voice cut him off.<p>

"I see… I knew Light-Kun would say something along those lines…"  
>"Then why did you even ask me?" Light asked, growing aggravated.<p>

"Because I wanted to hear Light-Kun say it himself… You know, Light-Kun certainly is a very good actor. I could almost believe him."  
>"What are you talking about, Ryuuzaki? I'm not acting." He insisted, "That's what I really think."<p>

"Perhaps you are right…" He didn't sound convinced.

"I am."

"I certainly hope Light-Kun remembers that…"

The teen blinked, his annoyance swiftly switching to confusion once more as he glanced over at the quirky man,

"What?"

"I hope Light-Kun remembers those ideals when he is given his powers as Kira back…"

"Not that again…" The former Kira complained, "Doesn't that idea sound ridiculous to you, Ryuuzaki? I mean, I would think that someone would remember if they were a mass murderer, don't you? How could I be able to forget something like that?"

"That is what I am trying to figure out, Light-Kun."  
>"Well, good luck with that."<p>

Huffing, the brunette turned back around so his back was facing the raven, silently indicating that he was done with this discussion.

Dozing back off once more, the teen almost missed Ryuuzaki's last words as he returned to typing on his computer, making Light wonder for a brief moment whether or not he was hearing things as he finally faded into the darkness,

"Remember how Light-Kun feels now. Remember how he believes Kira's actions are unrighteous. Maybe then when Light-Kun gets his powers and memories of being the first Kira back he will finally see how flawed his own ideals are…"

_My ideals are… Flawed…?_

DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN

"Yay! We've got him; we've got Kira!" Matsuda cheered, throwing his hands up in the air in excitement, "That means the case is closed, right? We won!"  
>Not even bothering to spare the airheaded Japanese agent a glance, the detective removed the spoon hanging out of his mouth to reply,<p>

"No, Matsuda, as I have said that was not the original or second Kira. Higuchi was merely the third Kira. That means that the first and second Kira are still out there somewhere."

The detective looked pointedly over at Light at his last words and the teen merely rolled his eyes in response, deciding not to reward the childlike man with a response.

After all, everything was going just as he wanted right now. He once more had his memories and regained ownership of the Death note. Almost all suspicion was cleared of him being the first Kira (or rather that was what the task force claimed, however Light figured that L still saw him as a number one suspect) and Misa would return to killing criminals soon, no doubt giving the task force a run for their money.

Everything was going according to plan, that is, except for one thing.

_"Remember how Light-Kun feels now. Remember how he believes Kira's actions are unrighteous. Maybe then when Light-Kun gets his powers and memories of being the first Kira back he will finally see how flawed his own ideals are…"_

For some reason L's words kept resounding in his head like a broken record, refusing to leave him alone no matter how hard he tried to ignore them.

_Ryuuzaki's words didn't matter to me_, he reasoned, his gaze staring blankly ahead, _After all he doesn't even know what he's talking about. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my justice. It is the right thing for the god of the new world to think. _

The world was rotten and it was the job that was entrusted to him to wipe it clean and start all over. Because of him the innocent would live happily and the good people would not be victims to the bad that would take advantage of them.

The bad would no longer prevail in his new world, that much he knew, but still he couldn't help but feel as though what he was doing was… Evil…

He remembered what he had thought after he had first killed his two test subjects, the first by heart attack to see if the Death note was real and the second to see just what it was capable of. He could just vaguely recall the sense of guilt that relentlessly coursed through him as he very well neared a nervous breakdown.

He had just killed two people. Yes, they were criminals but they were still lives; human lives. He was a murderer… He was a thief… He stole two lives that day and became nothing better than the criminals he so detested…

At the time he had an epiphany about how what he was doing was actually not bad, seeing as he was only taking the rotten people out of the rotten world, not the innocent, but now… Now he knew better.

He had killed thirteen innocent police officers… They were not criminals, they were like him. They spent their lives helping those in need because they wanted to clean out the world.

The only problem was that they were getting nowhere. Instead of killing them they would just send them to jail for a little time out before releasing them again just so they could go back to doing what they were before, only this time with more excitement and more planning so that they would not get caught again.

They followed the laughable system and got nowhere with it.

That was the acceptable version of Justice, but _his_ justice got such _better_ results.

The bad would stay bad no matter what they went through, so he was doing everyone a favor by killing the scum that the government had previously just slapped on the wrist and told them not to do it again.

But… Regardless of his reasoning he still couldn't help but acknowledge the new feeling in his gut that told him that he was following tainted principles.

Just when the hell did that feeling get there? It sure wasn't there before.

He supposed it was what was left over from when he lost his memories and thought that over time, it would fade away until it became virtually nonexistent….

But for some reason he felt as though if anything it was just going to continue to grow…

Damn it…

_You did this to me, didn't you, L?  
><em>His ideals were changing and he just knew it was because of L and his so called _perfect justice_.

_'It must be a trick…'_ The teen thought, his eyes narrowing as he shifted his gaze to the detective happily gorging down his cake beside him, _'This was all your plan; to get inside my mind. That's why you said that to be a few weeks ago, wasn't it, Ryuuzaki?'_

Well it was working, Light couldn't deny it. His resolves were not as strong as they were and it angered him to no end.

_I cannot let L convince me otherwise of my plans. I have to create this new world… After all, if not me, then who? Who else would be smart enough to fool everyone else like I can? Who else could pass such flawless judgment on those who sinned? No one! No one else could do it! It had to be him!  
><em>For a moment he couldn't help but wonder if no one else did it because they were unable or if they were just too smart to fight a losing battle.

Stifling an irritated groan, Light glared at the innocent looking detective staring idly at his work, his eye twitching in slight irritation.

For the first time since he picked up the Death note Light questioned his motives and his sense of Justice and he blamed it on L.

Shit, now what was he supposed to do? He couldn't continue making a world he wasn't completely invested into and it was already far too late to turn back…

Wasn't it?

_Damn you… Just what the hell are you doing to me, L?_

_DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN_

**Two more last things before I stop talking. I hope the characters aren't OOC. I tried to keep them IC and I think I did pretty well, but please, tell me if they are off. I always try to stay very in character with all of my stories. **

**Finally this story will be a bit darker than I usually write, so beware of that. Considering this is the dark anime death note and all I couldn't not make it a little sad, but that won't be until the action picks up in later chapters, so enjoy the tameness while it lasts.**

**Hope you enjoyed.**


	2. Chapter 2: College Bound

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story nor do I own the story that they hail from. **

**DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN**

"Would Light-Kun like some cake?"

Barely giving the detective a glance, the teenager shook his head as he shrugged on his jacket, turning his attention to the zipper instead,

"No, I really don't care for sweets."_ Like I've told you several times already._

"It is a shame that Light-Kun detests such wonderful foods…" The raven murmured, shoveling a piece of his own cake into his mouth, "I believe he does not know what he is missing out on."

Scrunching up his face in slight disgust, Light glanced at the dessert in question passively,

"Isn't it a little early to be eating something so sugary anyway?" He reasoned, "It's only seven in the morning."

"Yes, thank you, Light-Kun, but I am well aware of the hour. As for your question, it is never too early for sweets, especially because to me it is not early."

"I'm sure you are one of the few people in the world that would think that."

Opting to end their slight argument, the brunette picked up the backpack positioned beside his side of the work desk and headed towards the door.

"Well, I'm going, L."

"Going? Where exactly is Light-Kun going?"

Giving his former handcuff partner a curious glance, the insomniac swiveled his chair around to face the escaping teen, "Is it not too early for Light-Kun?"

"Normally, yes, but I have classes at eight thirty and the bus route usually takes about an hour."

"Classes? So I take it Light-Kun has decided to reinstate his schooling now that he is no longer forced to remain at the headquarters with me?"

The teen nodded in response,

"I've already missed quite a bit of school work because of taking time off when I was being kept in solitary confinement and when I was a suspect. My teachers are threatening to drop me if I don't start showing up." Light muttered, his tone somewhat bitter at the memory.

After taking such a long break his teachers had informed him that although his excuses were understandable (what precisely his so called excuses were for missing school for so many weeks he was uncertain, however knowing Ryuzaki it was probably either something embarrassing or over the top) he was still expected to return to school soon to get back to work.

Luckily for the young genius he knew he wouldn't have too much trouble catching up on all his missed assignments, seeing as he probably already knew the majority of what he missed, the only thing he was dreading was spending all the time to actually do the work. Easy or not work was work and it could sometimes prove to be incredibly time consuming. Especially college tasks.

"I see."

Giving an understanding nod, the detective rose from his chair and grabbed another strawberry, scarfing it down before walking past the now curious teen and stalked through the already opened door, pausing only to look over at Light,

"Is something wrong, Light-Kun? I was under the impression you required to leave for school now."

"Yes, you are correct…" The brunette began, his words hesitant and careful as he studied the waiting man, "But where are you going?"

"Is it not obvious? I am going to school with Light-Kun."

"You are what?"

Narrowing his brown eyes slightly at L, Light frowned,

"I thought you were going to my school just to keep an eye on me. Now even you yourself said that I wasn't a suspect."

Ryuzaki nodded his head in agreement, although they both knew fully well that Light was still far from being innocent in the insomniac's eyes.

"Then why are you still going? It's not like you actually need to take any of those classes."

"I could say the same for Light-Kun." The detective pointed out, idly scratching his right ankle with his left foot in an almost bored fashion, "I am certain that there is nothing important to learn at school that Light-Kun is not already aware of. Besides, I have already offered Light-Kun a job working with me on this case, so he will not need to worry about finding a job with no degree. Why is it that Light-Kun still insists on attending his classes?"

_Because I need a break from you._ Light thought irritably.

"Think of it this way, Ryuzaki," The teen began, feigning a smile as he regarded the impatient insomniac, "I've only just turned 18, I want to spend some time with my friends and experience college. Besides, your offer is great and all but what about after we find the real first and second Kira and close the case? My employment with you would become null and void when you moved onto the next case and I wouldn't have anything else to do. That's why I need a college degree, that way I can join the police after and become a detective."

He gave the detective another charming smile, amused by how easy it was to lie to the so called 'World's greatest detective'.

He honestly couldn't care less about seeing his acquaintances at school nor did he even worry about getting a job after the Kira case was _'solved'_ (Half because he knew it would never be solved and the other half because he knew that even if it was solved it would be long after he had killed L). Anyway, being the god of the new world was a job itself. One day, once everyone stopped fighting against the inevitable and accepted Kira he could reveal his identity and pass free judgment over the population. It was all just a matter of time.

The brunette paused in his thoughts, wondering why it was that now his plans seemed so very laughable, even to himself.

This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

"I must say Light-Kun is incorrect in that statement because I have a job and have never gone to college." L nonchalantly pointed out, his thumb coming up to rest against his lips, "Going to Light-Kun's school was the first time I have ever actually been enrolled in any type of public education system."

"But that's the thing, Ryuzaki. You don't know anything about the real world. You've been so sheltered your whole life that it doesn't surprise me in the least that you don't understand the importance of a college degree."

A moment of silence passed as L seemed to mull that thought over in his head before he pulled his thumb from his mouth, instead placing both his hands in his pants pockets.

"Perhaps Light-Kun is correct. I do not enjoy being around others and thus have had no reason to engage in social situations… I suppose that gives me all the more reason to continue going to school with Light-Kun then."

Shit. He had him there.

"Wait, but, what about the case?" Light asked, dejectedly attempting to persuade the detective from coming with him. After all, the last thing he needed was to be stuck with the raven at college as well. That was where he was finally allowed time to think about his motives without being interrupted by the childlike man. "If you go to college with me you won't have as much time to find the first and second Kira."

"Hm?" Tilting his head to the side in a show of feigned innocence L turned and walked out of the door, replying idly as he left, "Oh, Light-Kun needs not worry of that. I am already well aware of who Kira and his follower are, I just lack the evidence."

Clenching his fists at his sides, Light sighed and shook his head, quickening his pace to catch up with L,

"You're talking about me, aren't you?"

Giving a small, sly smile the black haired man glanced over at his first friend,

"Why ever would Light-Kun think that? But yes, he is correct."

"I thought you said I wasn't a suspect anymore."

"Ah, yes. Well, you see, Light-Kun, I lied."

**DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN**

"You know, Ryuzaki, this isn't necessary…" Light insisted, his hands resting in his lap in slight discomfort, "I was perfectly fine riding the bus."

"Perhaps Light-Kun may be but I am not." The raven dismissed, his focus on the selection of different candies laid out before him, "I feel much more comfortable having Watari take us."

"Yes, I understand that, but was taking a limo really necessary?"

"Yes. "

Rolling his eyes at his acquaintance's stubbornness, Kira ceased his fruitless questions and instead leaned his head against his palm as he gazed out the small back window of the overly sized limo.

This wasn't going how he wanted it at all and it did not sit well with him. He needed time away from the detective, yet no matter what he did it seemed like he could never get the man to leave his side. It felt almost as though they were still handcuffed together and it irritated Light quite a bit.

Narrowing his eyes at the cars passing by them, the brunette noticed with limited interest a car barreling down the street failed to stop at the red light they were waiting at. Instead it zoomed right past, narrowly avoiding a head on collusion with another van who had the right away.

Watching with distaste as the red sports car continued down the road at a speed certainly exceeding the speed limit the boy almost missed something the detective said to him as the lawbreaker's car disappeared ahead.

"That car did not heed the laws of driving." Ryuzaki pointed out, his eyes glued to Light's.

Kira shrugged in return and sent the raven a bored look.

"That happens all the time in Japan, especially during the morning rush." He dismissed, focusing back at the land whizzing past them as the light changed for them once more.

"Do you think he will be killed by Kira?"

"Killed by Kira?" Looking at the detective from the corner of his eye, the brunette rested his chin on his upturned palm, "Why would someone speeding be killed by Kira?"

Though he wouldn't admit it, Light was slightly offended at the mere idea of killing someone for something so minor. Sure his ideals were iffy at the moment, but he was certain that even when they were steady before he never would have gone so far as to focus on trying to find the identity of a mere person going over the speed limit.

"Because the driver of that car was a criminal." L explained as thought it was obvious, "He broke the law."

"It was just a speeding violation. People get that every day but they don't need to die over it."

"So then you think Kira believes in excusing evils, Light-Kun?"

The brunette frowned at the insomniac's questions and finally tilted his head to look fully at him,

"Excusing evils? Ryuzaki, why are you asking me these things?"

"Will Light-Kun not amuse me with a response? I am only curious as to what he thinks, seeing as he has already admitted that Kira's ideals are similar to his own. In that case I believe it would be easiest to uncover Kira's personality by dwelling into Light-Kun's own beliefs."

Damn him…

Giving L a hard look, the teen mulled his opinions over in his head for a moment, attempting to distinguish the lesser of two evils in this situation.

On one hand he could refuse to answer any more of Ryuzaki's questions on the grounds that he was not and never would be Kira so he would have no way of knowing how the murderer passed his judgments, but Light was certain that if he did that the detective would find his lack of an opinion suspicious. Yet if he was to give his honest views on absolute evil and absolute good or the lack therefore it would only prove how alike Light Yagami's ideals are to that of Kira's which would still only rise L's suspicions of him.

_Relax._ He mentally urged himself, careful as to ensure no emotions passed through his expression other than the pensive, thinking one he was feigning. _He's only asking me this because he has no evidence. Even if I do answer this question and his damned percentages rise he still has no proof that I'm the first Kira. After all, I'm not the only one in the world that has this point of view. With the emergence of Kira more and more people are adopting my view; the view that the world is rotten and thus requires a higher power to purge this world of all the evil doers. People now rely on me to save them from the criminals slowly taking over this world…._

_Right?_

He… He was justice… Wasn't he? He was supposed to do this. It was his destiny…

_Yes… It is my destiny…_ He mused bitterly to himself as his thoughts took a turn, reflecting on the lighter point of view that was the old, innocent Light Yagami, _It's my destiny to become a mass murderer…_

"Ryuzaki… You are right that I admitted that Kira's ideals are like my own because it is the truth. More than once I have found myself wishing death upon a truly wicked criminal, although I would never even think about killing someone for doing something as common as breaking the speed limit and running a red light. It's in human nature to make mistakes sometimes. After all, even you have broken laws before, Ryuzaki."

"Mm… Light-Kun is observant… Yes, if my actions were to be compared to laws, I have no doubts that I have broken numerous rules that would label me as a criminal, which I suppose would be why Kira is set on killing me. However, Kira seems to be consumed with the urge to create a completely evil free world." The detective explained, plopping a hard candy into his mouth as he continued, "In that case he would have to rid the world of even those minuscule evils such as running a red light. They broke a law, which by society's definition would make them a criminal. To turn a blind eye to such a person would be to excuse evil and one cannot enforce a standard and expect people to follow it when exceptions are routinely made. Does Yagami-San not agree?"

Black eyes met brown ones as the two men stared at one another, a silent war waging between the two as neither faltered, refusing to be the one to look away and, in turn, lose.

Light's eyes were hard and cold as he glared at the detective, his anger barely contained as L's words seeped into his mind, riling him up more than he thought they should be able to.

After all, words shouldn't have been able to get under his skin like they did, especially not the narrow-minded words of his enemy. To be honest, he wasn't even sure why they mattered to him in the first place. It wasn't as though L was a friend nor was he anyone of importance to Light, so it was not that he felt ashamed that his views were different.

Perhaps it was because Ryuzaki's words were right and he knew it.

"It doesn't matter if I agree with you or not. Even though I did say that his ideals are similar to mine it doesn't mean they are exactly the same. Like I said, I only wish death on criminals, I certainly don't actually kill them, and so in that case I wouldn't know just what Kira was planning because I'm not him." _Anymore..._

Staring unerringly at the black haired man beside him, Light ignored the calculating look L was giving him and merely unbuckled his seat beat as Watari pulled up at their school.

For the first time in months Light had told the truth and he had to admit it felt pretty good. After all, he wasn't Kira… Or at least, not at the moment. He even seemed to cause the witty detective to go silent.

"Anyway, we're here." The brunette informed as he pulled his backpack over his shoulder, "But before we get out, I want to make something clear, Ryuzaki. I-…"

"Light-Kun, I must remind you that here I am Ryuuga, not Ryuzaki."

Feeling his eye twitch in irritation, the teen ignored L's interruption and continued nonetheless,

"…-I want you to promise me that you won't mention anything about the Kira case or your delusional idea that I'm Kira, alright?"

Black eyes blinked back at his honey ones as the detective bite the corner of his thumb, faking the innocent look he reserved only for when Light accused him of something,

"So I take it Light-Kun wishes for me to lie, correct?"

"What? No. I'm not Kira anyway, so it's not a lie."

"But what if I am asked about Kira? Am I not allowed to give my personal view?"

Light knew Ryuzaki was only asking these questions to get on the former Kira's nerves and quite frankly at the moment he was succeeding. Since when did the great and mysterious L have a problem with lying anyway?

"No." His voice was firm and final as he climbed out of the car, L following close behind him.

"Light-Kun can be so cruel and demanding. His percentage of being Kira has risen three percent."

"You really are ridiculous, Ryuuga."

Spitting out the name as though it was an insult, the teen sent his follower an indignant look before allowing it to return to his usual stoic expression.

"I am not ridiculous, as Light-Kun so put it." Ryuuga pointed out, sticking his hands in his pockets as he walked steadily beside his suspect, "I am stating my observations."

"Well then stop that. Look, if you want to go to a college than you can't act like a detective." He explained, gesturing to the campus, "You already stick out enough as it is, you don't need your personality to add to that."

Tilting his head to the side, the hunched man nodded slightly,

"I see. I must thank Light-Kun for assisting me on fitting in, however it is hardly necessary. Everyone on the campus is already aware of who I am from the entrance exam speech as well as our tennis match, therefore I have no need to attempt to act differently."

"Suit yourself."

Wanting the conversation to drop, Light subtly increased his pace, just wanting to get to his class so that he could be away from Ryuzaki.

"What's your schedule, Ryuuga?"

"My schedule…? Oh, yes… That would be whatever Light-Kun's schedule would be."

Stopping abruptly at the response, the brunette felt the detective run right into him, although he didn't exactly care. The only thing that mattered to him was the man's response.

"My schedule?"

"Yes. When I heard Light-Kun's father talk to him about returning to college I had the school change my classes so that my schedule was identical to that of Light-Kun's in case he did decide to return."

So he had this all planned out from the start, did he?

_Damn it. Now the option of skipping one of my classes is gone._

Originally he had considered leaving the grounds to talk privately with Misa during one of his classes that day and then returning later to meet up with Ryuzaki. That way he could clear up his mind and plan without L knowing anything, but of course that was out of the question now.

"You know, you really take the whole 'keep your enemies close' thing too literal, Ryuuga." Light sighed, closing his eyes as he shook his head, "Can't I have any time to myself?"

"I'm afraid allowing Light-Kun time such as that is too risky to my case."

"Of course it is…"

Soon the two fell into silence as they walked side by side through the campus to where their now shared first class was. They were nearly there when a voice calling the brunette's name caught their attentions, causing both the detective and his suspect to turn to the voice.

"Hey, Light! Good to see you're finally back!"

Blinking in slight surprise at the familiar voice, the mass murderer forced a smile as his long term friend Yamamoto ran up to him, his hand waving as he grinned at Light.

"Hey, Yamamoto." He greeted back.

"You've been gone for quite a while and I tried to call your house phone several times but your mom said you weren't home." The spectacled teenager explained, stopping just short of the two boys, seemingly ignoring the raven in favor of speaking to the brunette, "Boy do I have a lot to tell you. You won't believe what I-…"

Yamamoto's voice cut off as he seemed to finally notice the detective standing there, his black eyes trained on Light's new friend with a mixture of interest and curiosity.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't notice you there." The stranger smiled sheepishly, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, "Are you a friend of Light's?"

"I was about to ask Yamamoto the same question." The raven replied lazily, "But yes, I am Light-Kun's friend. I take it Yamamoto is as well."

His question was met with a nod.

"Yeah, I've known Light since we were in middle school. Nice to meet you…"

"Yes, I agree. My name is Ryuuga."

"Ryu…" The bespectacled man blinked, seemingly confused by the name as his gaze drifted from over the detective's head to his face, "Ryuuga…?"

This time it was the detective's turn to nod.

"Like the actor, then?" Letting out a soft laugh Yamamoto seemed to pull himself out of whatever trance he was in and smiled once more, "That's cool."

"I suppose it is."

"Anyway…" Throwing one last look at the insomniac, Yamamoto's smile seemed to flicker slightly before he turned to look at Light, "Well, I have to be getting to class. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Sure."

Giving his friend a small wave, the brunette watched in relief as his old friend left before he too began walking towards his class with L close behind him.

As they continued their trek Light allowed himself to fall into his thoughts, the Death note and Kira weighing heavily on his mind, that is, until he felt a hand brush against his thigh, quickly yanking him from his musings.

Looking over, he could just barely catch the sight of L's hand flee from his person to his pocket, his gaze trained innocently on the confused Kira.

"Ryuuga…" His voice was low, on the verge of sounding threatening, "What are you doing?"

He forced his tone to remain calm as he fought the blush from rising to his cheeks at the thought of just what Ryuuga was attempting to do.

"Light-Kun had lint on his pants." The detective replied monotonously, a coy smile playing at his lips as he regarded his suspect, "I know how much Light-Kun dislikes looking unorderly so I removed it for him."

Light looked unconvinced.

"Thanks… But next time, just tell me."

Resisting the urge to sigh, Light ran a hand through his hair, just knowing that today would be a long day.

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**The actual plotline begins next chapter. This was more or less to set the scene and show more of Light's personality. In case it isn't obvious already, this story is a what if type of thing in which after he regains his memories he still remembers what he thought of Kira when he was under the impression he wasn't the murderer. Right now his Kira and Light sides are fighting for control, so he is very confused as to what he really wants and, of course, L isn't helping things at all :P**

**Anyway, thank you to everyone for following, reviewing and the one person who reviewed XD. It definitely motivates me :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Never bring an L to class

Although the walk to their 1st class of the day, Literature, was not too far in theory it felt like miles to Light as he walked alongside L, an awkward silence consuming them as neither knew what to say.

It wasn't as though silence with another person was a new concept to the teen, seeing as he was used to having Ryuk tail him wherever he went. In fact, lately he found it stranger to be left completely alone. Even now that he no longer had his original Death Note he still constantly had Rem around, which the brunette found to be a bit on the uncomfortable side.

His new Shinigami disliked him greatly and thus caused the boy to be even more cautious than when he had the gothic God of Death lingering around. One wrong move and the teen was certain that the female death god would have no problem killing him, in fact, he was positive that the only thing keeping him alive at the moment was the notion that Misa was still completely and helplessly in love with him.

If Misa was to ever lose that obsession he had no doubts that he would be seeing his last days. It was that reason and that reason alone that lately Light had been attempting to get on the Shinigami's good side, if that was even possible.

Platonically looking around at his surroundings, the teen was relieved, yet not surprised to find that Rem was nowhere in sight, which was definitely a good thing. Since Ryuzaki still held the third Kira's notebook in the Kira Investigation Building everyone who had touched the notebook would be able to see the skeleton like being, making it so the idea of Rem following him like Ryuk had was out of the question.

After all, having the Shinigami always be near him when L could very well see and hear her would be a sure fire way for the detective to prove that Light was, in fact, Kira. After all, the rules themselves stated that the owner of the Death Note was the one that was supposedly haunted by the Death god, that itself was evidence enough to prove that the teen was the mass murderer and that certainly would not do.

It was because of that that Light had requested for Rem to remain in the headquarters along with the notebook and she accepted, though he figured she spent more time with Misa than she did actually following his order. But that really didn't matter to him. As long as she wasn't around him, she could have been anywhere.

Allowing his thoughts of the God of death to leave his mind as he entered the somewhat familiar Literature lecture hall, Light silently took his old seat near the middle of the rows of desks and set the needed materials for that day on the table, making sure it was organized before glancing over at Ryuzaki, who had, sure enough, sat on the seat next to him, his legs pulled up onto the chair into his usual crouch. The raven's desk was full just like the brunette's own, however what was laid out on it was far from school materials. Instead his desk was covered in little hard candies as the detective appeared to be calmly organizing the sweets into groups depending on colors.

Seeming to notice his first friend's dumbfounded gaze on his work, the insomniac casually plopped a piece into his mouth,

"You know, Light-Kun, it is not polite to stare."  
>"That's rich coming from you, Ryuuga." The mass murderer snickered, eyeing Ryuzaki's movements carefully, "What are you doing anyway? That desk can hardly be sanitary."<br>"Hm?" Not taking his gaze off of his organization, L reached into his pocket before pulling out a pack of baby wipes and held them out to the brunette, "Yes, I figured that as well, Light-Kun, which is why I came prepared."

Giving the sanitary wipes only a quick look, the teen glanced down at the ground below Ryuzaki's feet, slightly surprised to find that he had nothing on him other than the small bag that once held the mountain of candy, wipes, the clothes on his back and the old, ratty shoes on the ground.

"Maybe you came prepared for eating off the table, but where are your school supplies? You can't seriously expect to come to class with nothing."  
>Now that he thought about it, Light realized that aside from the bag he lugged the candy in he had not noticed the detective bring any kind of backpack. Did he really come to class with no paper or pencils?<br>"I assure Light-Kun that I do not need paper nor do I need anything else for this class. After all, my grades here mean nothing to me."

Figuring fighting with the detective about how he would stick out like a sore thumb even more to be pointless, the brunette merely sighed and let the conversation die off, watching with little interest as the raven continued playing with his candy.

Honestly, sometimes the detective could act like such a child.

Finally pulling his gaze from the collection of soon to be diabetes, the teen took to leisurely glancing around the room, his attention only peaked as he watched from the corner of his eye a fellow male student sit on the side of him unoccupied by a candy loving maniac before pulling out his briefcase…

Briefcase? What on earth was a student doing with a briefcase when a backpack surely would do?

Subtly, Kira watched from the fringe of his bangs as the bespectacled classmate removed all the needed supplies for that day from his perfectly organized briefcase because carefully closing it, leaning down to gently rest it beside him. He then moved his papers and notebooks so that they were perfectly organized, making sure that he used the large desk to his advantage, just as Light had done when he originally sat down.

He was dressed in what appeared to be casual business attire with a black button down shirt, black pants and a neatly pressed red tie to add a bit of color into his otherwise drab fashion sense. His hair was as black and clean as his outfit and black framed glasses decorated his face, giving him a rather serious look. The brunette had to give the student props on his tidy appearance. Most of the other students arrived looking like bums.

Just who was this guy?  
>Sparing a glance to his right, the brunette found that he was not the only one who found the new man to be interesting, for L was also carefully inspecting the formally dressed man.<p>

However Ryuzaki was not nearly as discreet with his staring as Light was, making it so it didn't take long for the slightly long haired male to turn his attention from his perfectly placed desk to the watching raven.

Expecting the new classmate to look at least slightly creeped out by the attentive look he was receiving from the hunched man, Light was intrigued and a little surprised to see the man smile at the both of them politely,

"Hello, I don't think I've seen you two around here before. My name is Mikami, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Watching cautiously as the stranger named Mikami held out his hand, the teen hesitated for a moment before gingerly shaking his hand,

"Yes, I was sort of on an extended leave due to some family issues. My name is Light."

His introduction received a respectful nod before the perfectly groomed male turned his attention to L, offering his hand to him as he did to Light. Ryuzaki in turn merely stared at the appendage with little interest before he turned his attention back to counting the remaining sweets on his desk, completely ignoring Mikami's polite gesture,

"You can call me Ryuuga."  
>Seeming to realize that that was the only response he was going to pry from the shoeless man, Mikami brought his hand back to his side, his attention returning to the more respectable brunette.<p>

"I take it he's not much of a talker?" Mikami asked, his hand fiddling absentmindedly with his tie as he looked at Light.

"You could say that…"  
>He knew L lacked social manners, but this was ridiculous.<p>

Picking up idle chatter, Light politely spoke with the new teen, allowing him to do the majority of the talking while he settled with merely half listening, his attention shifting to L every once in a while out of sheer habit.

"So, Yagami-san, what are you majoring in?" Mikami asked, his attention trained entirely on the teen, almost as though he was studying him from the inside out.

"Law enforcement…" Light replied simply, a small frown marring his features as he focused his attention on the shaggy haired college student, "But how did you know my last name?"

For a brief almost nonexistent moment Mikami's smile wavered, a look of surprise shining in his dark brown eyes before it swiftly faded away,

"Oh, didn't you mention it before…?"  
>Light hesitated, watching the student carefully,<p>

"No."

"Well, then I guess I just picked it up somewhere." Mikami dismissed swiftly, almost too quickly, "Perhaps I heard it around."  
>Light was just about to pry deeper into the new student when the professor entering the room cut him off, instead forcing him to quiet down as he turned his attention to the board, only half interested in what the teacher was saying as he began his lesson.<p>

The teen had forgotten just how dull and utterly boring school could be.

Meanwhile, L didn't even attempt to pretend to listen to the lesson. Instead he took to watching both Light and Mikami from the corner of his black eyes, his fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the now color coordinated treats lining his desk.

There was something odd about that Mikami fellow, L could tell right away. His body language was different than a regular teens. It was nearly perfect like Light's, the only difference being his was almost forced and tense whilst the teen's was elegant and natural.

It was the stance of someone attempting to pose as someone they were not, he could spot it a mile away.

Tilting his head to the side, Ryuzaki chewed on his thumb, his toes clenching and unclenching discreetly on his seat as he allowed his mind to wander, his gaze set firmly on Mikami.

He would definitely have to do a background check on this individual when he returned to the Task Force, he decided as he nibbled another candy, especially if he was to become one of Light-kun's friends. After all, he had to make sure that Light-Kun was hanging around with safe adults, although he did not like the notion of Light being around any other man at all.

He paused for a moment, his piece of candy teetering in between his somehow perfect teeth as his last thought lingered in his mind, taking him by slight surprise.

Where had that come from? Was he… Jealous at the mere idea of Light having another friend?

Frowning slightly at the idea, the detective bite down harshly on his candy, satisfied with the loud crunch it made as it shattered into pieces in his mouth.

He was just looking too deeply into matters, he figured as he swallowed the sweet food, slipping another onto his tongue a moment later. It wasn't that he didn't want Light to be friends with Mikami, it was that he didn't want Mikami to be friends with Light. While the new student did seem to be smart he didn't doubt it in the slightest that the teenager would be able to manipulate the man if he ever decided he wanted something from him. He was doing it to protect the stranger from getting snatched up by Kira…

That and for one reason or another he just felt as though Mikami was hiding something. The way he would chew on his bottom lip when he glanced around the room, almost as though he was either looking for something or was afraid someone would find him. It made L even more curious as to who this guy really was.

Leaning over to rest his chin on his raised knees, the raven finally looked away from the shaggy haired man to instead actually watch the teacher, though he couldn't keep his attention on the lesson for too long before it bored him. How did Light do this every day before he became Kira? It felt almost insulting to him that a genius such as the brunette had to sit through something so rudimentary and tedious when he was capable of so much more.

Chewing on yet another candy, the raven thought that Wammy's house would have been the perfect place for Light to further his college studies and for a moment he was almost tempted to actually consider the option, but he immediately thought against it.

Light was Kira and it was certainly far too dangerous to send a mass murderer to an orphanage, even if the kids in that orphanage went by fake names. He could never forgive himself if even one kid was killed by the hands of the brunette just because the detective wanted the best education for his first friend.

Deeming the idea useless, L stifled a small sigh and laid his hands in his lap, staring nonchalantly at his candy for several moments until a loud song sounding from his pocket pulled him from his thoughts.

Surprised by the sudden noise, Light looked away from pretending to pay attention to the teacher's droning to reach into his pocket to quickly answer his phone, noticing the Japanese song 'The world' playing to belong to him

Shit, he could have sworn he turned that off…

Aware of all the students and even the teacher staring at him, Kira couldn't help but blush slightly at the embarrassment as he jammed his hand in his pocket, only to find it… Empty…

Blinking in surprise, Light was about to look for the device in his backpack when a voice cut him off, turning his confusion to pure irritation.

"Hello?" L asked as he held a phone that was unmistakably Light's up to his ear with his thumb and index finger, his eyes focused on the ceiling as he seemed to be listening carefully to the voice on the other line.

"Ryuuga, give me back my phone!" The teen hissed, his voice low as he reached for his phone, only to have L's foot meet his chest, successfully keeping Light was grabbing the phone from the detective's grasp.

"No, Light-kun is in class right now, but I can take a message for him…. Yes, I am Light-Kun's friend, Ryuuga… Yes, I suppose that is ironic that I have the same name as the actor… Is that so?" A slight smirk appeared on the raven's features as he continued to talk on the stolen cell, completely oblivious to the rest of the class staring at him in amusement, the angry look from the professor and the absolutely pissed off look directed at him from the red faced Light, who was still attempting to grab his phone back in vein.

_When the hell did he get my phone?!_ The brunette growled, his irritation reaching new levels as the foot pressed against his chest shoved him back further, keeping him from getting his cell back from the detective, who seemed to have absolutely no problem talking to whoever it was that called him.

Suddenly he paused, the arm reaching for his cell phone hesitating for a moment as realization struck him.

Earlier… When he had felt Ryuzaki touch his thigh… He had… He had stolen his phone! Damn it, how did he not notice that?! It was so obvious! But at the time he had been too embarrassed by the idea of another man touching him down _there_ to even take note that the usual weight in his pocket was missing…

"Yes, I will be sure to tell Light-Kun… It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Yagami-san. Good bye."

Bringing the phone down from his ear, the raven switched it off before moving his foot from the fuming teen, his attention turning back to the class, who now was stifling laughter.

"It was for you, Light-Kun." The detective said simply, laying the phone back on his first friend's desk as he eagerly chomped into another candy, seemingly content with leaving the explanation there.

"…Give me back my phone." Light's tone was low and threatening as he glared daggers at the expressionless insomniac.

"Certainly." Dropping the cell phone onto the desk beside his own, Ryuuga smiled coyly at the flustered brunette, "That was your mother, Light-Kun. She told me to inform you that she misses you and loves you and wishes that you should call her more. You know, it is very rude of Light-Kun to ignore his mother like that. She sounds like a lovely lady."

Immediately a round of laughter echoed throughout the lecture hall at Ryuzaki's words and immediately Kira could feel heat rise to his ears. Whether it was from fury or humiliation he was uncertain, however he supposed it was somewhere in between.

Clenching his teeth, Light gripped the pencil even tighter in his hand, hearing the sound of cracking not long after,

"Thank you, Ryuuga." He forced out, his voice a growl, "I will be sure to do that..."

Taking a deep breath, Light fought the overwhelming urge to punch the detective in the face, opting instead to get back at him when they returned to the Kira case headquarters.

Oh yes, he would hit the raven where it hurt… He would destroy the one thing he loved more than anything else…

He would hide_ all_ of the detective's candy from him.

Angrily shoving his phone into the pocket farthest from Ryuuga, the teen could still feel the heat on his cheeks as the teacher struggled to calm down the class that seemed to still find the whole scene absolutely hysterical.

Light wanted to murder them all.

Beside him he could vaguely make out Mikami giving him a smile, no doubt attempting to portray to him that he pitied the teen for having to withstand something so embarrassing.

Finally after minutes of countless whispers and chuckles, the class calmed down enough for the professor to continue his lecture, allowing Light to finally mourn the loss of his pride in silence.

The rest of the class went by with relative ease as no further embarrassing phone calls were made nor did the detective do anything else that would be classified as particularly weird… That is, besides act like his normal, anti-social self.

Mikami also seemed to remain silent as he instead busily typed on his phone, apparently also more interested in anything but the tedious professor. He couldn't help but wonder just who he could be texting so fast.

Light heaved a soft sigh of relief as the teacher finally dismissed them and eagerly stood up from his desk, gathering up his notebooks and pencils before shoving them into his bag. Honestly, at the moment he just wanted to get out of there.

He was just about to begin his walk out of the classroom when the sound of a phone ringing caught his attention. Turning to look at Ryuuga, he saw a look of slight surprise cross over the detective's face as he fished his own phone out of his pocket.

"Oh, this is really mine this time."

He clicked on the phone, muttering a quick hello before he quieted down, seemingly waiting as the person on the other side spoke.

Interested in what could have been so important that someone would call the detective, the brunette strained his hearing, trying with little success to make out what the conversation was about, though his attempts became even more futile when a tap on his shoulder shifted his attention from the insomniac to Mikami standing beside him, briefcase in hand,

"I apologize that you had to go through that." He apologized sincerely before offering his new acquaintance a smile, "But nonetheless it was nice to meet you. We should hang out some time, Light."  
>Nodding quickly in an attempt to get the other male to cease talking so that he could eavesdrop on L's conversation, Light was only half aware of what he was agreeing to.<p>

"Yeah, sounds good…" He mumbled, his eyes flickering from Mikami to Ryuuga.

"Great." Mikami's smile seemed to widen at the agreement and was about to continue when suddenly he was cut off by the man named Ryuuga snapping his phone shut, an unamused look painting his pale face as he warily eyed the shaggy haired man before setting his sights on Light.

"Light-Kun, a sudden problem came up and we must go."

Taking off towards the door before the brunette could so much as agree, he had no choice but to swiftly bid the dejected man good bye before following the detective out of the door, both oblivious to the glare they were receiving as they fled from the room.

"What's going on, Ryuuga?" Light whispered as he fast walked down the hallway with the detective, his previous anger temporarily forgotten. Instead curiosity prickled at his conscious as to what could have happened to convince L to leave so suddenly.

"It would seem as though yet another Kira has shown himself." The detective muttered softly, "We have received another video from an individual claiming to be similar to Kira, however this one seems to have devised a new name for himself…"

Biting at his lower lip in thought, L paused for a moment before he continued once more,

"He refers to himself as 'Death' and claims to know the identities of both Kira and L."

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**This chapter admit-ably isn't one of my best, however it is well enough for the purpose it serves, although I am excited to write the next one :D Thank you for those of you that favorited, followed and reviewed. They always motivate me, especially reviews.**


	4. Chapter 4: Death's warning

**Disclaimer: I have not acquired Death Note since the last chapter was updated.**

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The car ride back to the headquarters was unusually silent, save for the soft sound of chewing as the detective dug into his seemingly endless pile of sweets, his expression as bored as ever. To unsuspecting eyes it would seem as though Ryuzaki was unfazed by the situation, although Light knew him far too well to believe his front. He could tell by the slight increase in candy consumption and the random flicker of his eyes around the limo that this news was definitely bothering him.

Not that that was unexpected. If anything, the brunette understood his anxiety all too well for he was experiencing something similar to it.

Just the thought that this supposedly new 'Kira' who called himself Death could possibly know that he was the first Kira was disconcerting to begin with. If he was to announce his name a loud…

He fought the urge to shake his head and instead brought his focus to the English book in his lap, deciding to act as though he was dwelling deeper into the novel his English Literature teacher had assigned to him as a project he had missed.

While his eyes were trained on the page his thoughts were everywhere but, his mind instead racing with all the possibilities.

A new Kira… That certainly could not be good, especially if this new killer was similar to the Yotsuba one, which killed only for his own personal gain. He couldn't have Kira's name tainted by another selfish individual…

_Wait… What am I saying? Why do I even care about Kira's reputation anymore? I mean… I-I'm not him anymore… Right? I'm not… I don't want to be a murderer anymore…_

His hands clenched unconsciously on the paperback book as he unintentionally took his annoyance out on the poor defenseless novel.

His ideals were wavering far too much at the moment for his own comfort and for the first time in a long time he found himself at a loss for what to do. He had no plans, no schemes, nothing.

Which side should he choose? The Kira side or the Light side?

Was killing criminals wrong or an effective way of passing divine judgment?  
>Was L's justice correct? Was his own flawed? Or perhaps, were they both wrong?<br>He had all these questions and absolutely no answers.

_What is happening to me?_

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"Good, you both have arrived." The chief sighed in slight relief as he watched his son and the detective enter the main room of the investigation building, "We have been waiting until you two arrived before we played the video."

L nodded lightly at the information and stalked over to his desk chair before crouching onto it, his finger instantly coming up to his mouth as he nodded up at the camera resting just above where he sat,

"Please wait one moment before you play the tape, Watari. I wish to make something certain before we allow the video to play for us."

A moment of silence passed before the soft noise of the intercom system crackled to life, an old, calm voice following,

"Of course. What is it you wanted to know, Ryuzaki?"

"You have looked over his video already, correct? I wish to be certain that, on the off chance that this 'Death' individual actually is not bluffing about having my and Kira's name, he did not mention any unconventional names in the message.

The old man seemed to hesitate for a moment, his words pausing on the tip of his tongue for a few seconds before he finally replied somewhat reluctantly.

"I have looked over the video as you requested, although I am afraid that this case may be more dangerous than I had originally perceived it to be."

"Hm?" Any look of the teasing, bored expression L harvested at To-Oh University was gone as his conversation with the elder man continued, his mood swiftly worsening as his mind began racing with all the possible outcomes on both sides of the spectrum, "What did the video say?"  
>A soft sigh seemed to unintentionally slip from the gray haired man's mouth before his voice appeared on the intercom once more.<p>

"I'm afraid this Kira may not be bluffing after all… He did not state any names a loud, however his word choice is a bit concerning…"  
>Nodding slightly at the information, the raven bit his thumb rougher, his eyes staring blankly ahead as though he were in thought,<p>

"I see… "  
>Glancing over at the brunette, L stared at him, his expression steady and inquisitive as he seemed to be thinking about something.<p>

"Perhaps it will be best if I looked over this by myself…"  
>His sentence was immediately met by indignant looks from both Aizawa and the chief,<p>

"We are part of this investigation too, Ryuzaki. We have the right to look over this too." Aizawa pointed out, his dislike of the detective strengthening at the idea that he was attempting to hide something from him.

"Aizawa is right, Ryuzaki." The eldest Yagami agreed, "We understand that it is your wish to keep your name secret and that is fine, but we are as much a part of this investigation as you are. This video pertains to Kira and we want to see it."

Sighing softly at the police officer's insistence, the raven finally pried his eyes from Light's in order to face the screen once more.

"Yes, I suppose that is true…" He grumbled, acting like a kicked puppy as he poked at the cake in front of him, "In that case I guess it will be alright for everyone to watch… "

With obvious reluctance, Ryuzaki began typing fervently on his computer, only stopping once a video popped up with the words Death printed across the screen in the same font as the second Kira's was.

"It would seem as though this Kira went about showing his message by writing on the tape, so please everyone keep up with the pace selected. I do not wish to stop the video every time someone complains of the speed." He looked pointedly at Matsuda.

"H-hey, I can read pretty fast… I promise!" The aforementioned police officer assured, a sheepish look appearing on his face as he held his hands up defensively, "I'm not that stupid…"  
>"We know you aren't Matsuda." Soichiro assured, gently resting his hand on the younger man's shoulder as he gave him a reassuring smile, "I'm sure L is just under a lot of pressure right now, he didn't mean anything by it."<p>

_Yes I did…_ The raven thought, his temper making his mood bitter.

The somewhat ill-witted detective returned the smile thankfully,

"Thanks, Chief!"

"How touching…" The detective murmured under his breath so low that even Light standing beside him could just barely make out the words, "Now, please pay attention. I will play it now."  
>Not waiting for everyone's agreement, the detective started the tape.<p>

A few seconds after the video began the large word 'Death' that originally occupied the majority of the screen faded away as words began to take up the space it previously occupied. Similar to credits at the end of a movie, the message began moving down,

**_Hello, Sakura TV, or, rather L. I have no doubts that this tape was taken from the Sakura TV station, where I sent it, or at the very least that it will be shortly. _**

**_I have gained some very useful information that I believe everyone will be interested in, especially you L and Kira, if they are indeed watching this message._**

**_First, I wish to address Kira and tell them that I am a very big fan of him and his justice. To me he is a god. Recently I have gained the knowledge of how he kills and have decided to do so myself, although I am certain he has already noticed this, I have begun my own judgment on the wicked, similar to that of his. Although I do not find the need to be as lenient as he has been. _**

**_Cheaters are guilty, small scale criminals are guilty and so are corrupt people, even if they are yet to commit an actual crime it is solely a matter of time. In this world we must not allow bad people to slowly grow, instead we must kill the problem at the source, even if that means killing teenagers guilty of shoplifting. If they are so young and commit such a thing than it is obvious they will continue to as they age._**

**_That is why I wish to speak to you, Kira. I am aware that while your judgments and viewpoints differ slightly from my own they are still quite similar, no matter how much you may disagree. Join forces with me, together we can completely clean this rotten world and show it the Light._**

Light felt himself stiffen at the last word, his honey eyes widening slightly in surprise and unease.

_Is that… Was that a mistake…? Using that word… No… He knows… That was a hint._

Sparing a glance over at the others, the brunette was somewhat relieved to find no one was looking at him, most likely meaning that they didn't understand the hidden message this Death guy was trying to convey.

_The task force may not be smart enough to realize it but L… I'm sure he has…_

Glancing at the raven under the fringe of his bangs, he studied the man for a moment, not surprised in the least to find a knowing look appear on his face as he too seemed to be analyzing the unconventional capitalization.

_Damn it, I was right… He knows… This is definitely proof enough to prove to him that I am the original Kira… Shit, just what was this new Kira thinking? Does he want L to know who I am…?_

_No…. This must be part of his plan… But just what is that plan?_

**_Now, I wish to address the detective L that has been trying so hard to catch my god. If you cease now I may just prove to show you mercy, seeing as you too believe in delivering Justice, although your ways are not correct you still have the potential to convert your views and be a big help to both Kira and myself. _**

**_Think of it this way, L. This world's system of justice is similar to that of taking away a Lawli-pop from a child who has been bad. It is done with the intentions of punishing the child for its misdeeds, yet the only thing the child actually learns is how to be more discreet when they commit the same offense the next time, seeing as its punishment was virtually nothing. What was one Lawli-pop compared to getting his way? _**

**_Allow me to ask you something else, detective. You have been working aimlessly on this case for many months now, which does not sit well with me. Why are you wasting so much time attempting to catch, Kira, who is only trying to help the world when there are criminals and crimes out there that you should be discovering? Instead you waste your time trying to best a god._**

**_Kira is the ultimate lord of this world and you will die if you do not follow his Laws._**

**_I wish to meet you, Kira, and hope that you understand my message, L. I know who both of you are, your names and your appearance, but I will withhold the information to ensure your safety… For the moment._**

**_I give you both the opportunity to join me, the side of justice. _**

**_Kira… I praise you greatly, however lately the criminals on the news have been receiving lenient judgment… In this world that cannot do. I do hope it is not because your resolves are teetering because I certainly do not wish to kill a god… Or perhaps, if your will is not resolute you are not a god after all._**

**_Prove to me your dedication to this ideal, god, and I will follow you as you wish._**

**_L, tread carefully because Death is watching._**

- **_Death_**

The taskforce was silent for several moments as they allowed the letter to seep in, various degrees of shock and nervousness clouding their features, that is, besides Ryuzaki and Light, who merely stared ahead at the now blank screen.

_This Kira is not bluffing… _ L thought silently to himself, feeling blood crawling down his finger as his teeth dug even harder into his thumb, _the message… While he did not state the names out loud it is obvious that he left hints that he knew only Kira and myself would understand…_

To other people reading the words, it may have just looked as though the writer mistakenly capitalized some words, although to both college students it was painfully obvious that that was no mistake.

_'…a Lawli-pop from a child who has been bad… one Lawli-pop…_ _you do not follow his Laws…' He is mocking me; continuously capitalizing words that sound similar to that of my own… _Ryuzaki mused solemnly to himself, his body subtly tensing at the realization, _He truly is not bluffing… This Kira knows my name…_

_No… Not only my name, but the first Kira's as well…_

Black eyes flickered from the blank screen to the teen standing beside him, not surprised to find a similar, hard expression on his features. It appeared as though he too understood the small hints given to them.

_'…completely_ _clean_ _this_ _rotten_ _world_ _and_ _show_ _it_ _the_ _Light…' That message was to Kira and it is obvious that the hint in that was the word Light, which is abnormally capitalized… At the very least this confirms my suspicions that Light is Kira, although this still is not enough proof to state it aloud… Besides, if I was to mention the fact that the letter L in the word Light was needlessly capitalized, meaning it belongs to Kira, it would not be completely impossible for the task force to also notice that words Lawli-pop and Laws was capitalized… Both words are far too similar to my own name for my liking…_

Clenching his toes in discreet unease, the detective looked away from the still honors student to instead pick at the plate of food that sat before him, his appetite no longer there.

"So…" It was Matsuda who finally broke the tense silence, "Do you guys think this guy is the real deal?"

Exchanging a silent glance, the two students nodded solemnly.

"With the information I have gathered from this tape I believe that this Kira may be even more dangerous than the first and second. Though he did not prove that he has a notebook like the second Kira did it is far too dangerous to treat this threat like nothing."  
>Spinning a candy on the table, the detective was quiet for a moment, his gaze intently on his food before he continued,<p>

"As much I hate to admit it I believe that this Kira does in fact know the identity of both Kira and myself… If that is the case than catching him will be my top priority." His gaze drifted to Light, "I think Kira will believe the same thing. His identity is on the line as is my own, so I doubt he will just sit back and watch, regardless of the fact that I may perish if he were to remain silent... Don't you agree, Light-Kun?"

Light met the raven's hard stare with one of his own, silently agreeing with what he was saying.

Ryuzaki was right. Right now it was bluntly obvious that this new no doubt Death note holder knew his identity and, knowing that, he could not allow this stranger to continue on as he pleased.

After all, what if this new Kira was like that of the second Kira? Incompetent and stupid? He could possibly reveal his name and if he did that then he was sure that would be the end of him, whether or not he was still Kira was irrelevant. While he may be rethinking his ideals now it did not change the fact that he had killed so many criminals in the past.

If this new Kira did reveal who he was he would be arrested and either killed or sent to jail for life; neither a very nice option.

"Yes, that was similar to my own thoughts, Ryuzaki." He admitted, his arms crossing, "It seems like this Kira is a threat to both the first Kira and L, despite what he may have said about admiring Kira it is obvious that if it came down to it he would not hesitate to kill him."

"Indeed, Light-Kun. However, that frame of mind is highly dangerous. If he is willing to kill the one he believes to be a god just because he believes his ideals have changed then that means he will kill anyone he sees as a threat, innocent or not. As it stands he is a menace to society."

The brunette nodded.

"We have to stop him right away."  
>"Yes, that is obvious." Seeming to get his appetite back, L dug into his piece of cake, "Mm, but I do have a question for you, Light-Kun. Do you believe Kira will join Death in his advances?"<p>

Narrowing his eyes at the question, Light stared calculatingly at the detective for a few moments, his questions now reminding him somewhat of the conversation they had had in the car that morning.

It was obvious to the teen that L knew he was Kira, he just lacked the evidence to actually arrest him for the crime and he figured that it had not helped that when he lost his memories he admitted to sharing similar ideals as Kira. Ever since he had admitted that in front of both Ryuzaki and the task force the raven had been using it against him, constantly consulting with the teen about what he would do in a certain situation, no doubt to get an idea as to what Kira would do.

To the rest of the team it was a great way to look ahead into Kira's schemes, however to Light it was nothing more than constant mockery, showing him L knew very well that he was, in fact, the mass murderer. It also caused the student to confess what he would do in retaliation, seeing as if he had lied Ryuzaki would know and would pry further into that fact and if he had claimed that he had no idea everyone in the task force would know he was lying. That would only manage to cause more suspicion.

"No." He finally replied after pretending to think about the question, "I mean, theoretically speaking, if I were Kira, I wouldn't want to join someone who had no problem killing me. After all, that would just be a constant liability, especially since Death knows who Kira is and, if he is still alive after making this announcement, I think it is safe to say that Kira has no idea who this new Kira is."

Regardless of how much the brunette hated it, the fact was that everything he had just said was true. He, as the original Kira, would never join another who had no problem threatening his life. Even before when he was completely dedicated to his perfect world he would have turned his nose up at the pathetic offer, however he figured that he really didn't have any choice in the matter.

Somehow the new killer knew who he was. How he knew, he was clueless.

_Who could know that I'm Kira?_ He pondered, his eyes narrowing, _I've noticed the increase in deaths of criminals that normally even my committed self would have spared, but I just figured it had been Misa taking my order of killing criminals too literally. It never even crossed my mind that another Shinigami's notebook could have fallen into the human world, although now that I think about it it makes a lot of sense. Misa would never kill small criminals like this Death guy. She was like him in the respect that she only wanted to rid the world of the large evils, not the small evils like petty theft… No… He was never as big of a monster as this man… Was he?  
><em>"Death, the new Kira, seems to be even more critical of misdeeds than the original Kira." L mumbled, his words muffled from the fork hanging between his lips, "He is willing to kill anyone who breaks even the smallest rule… His justice is only similar to his predecessor in the sense that he harvests a god complex and the idea that the only way to cleanse the world is to murder. Both of which are incorrect."  
>"But what are we going to do?" Matsuda asked, his usual confused expression marring his features, "Where should we start to look for him?"<p>

"That part is simple. Since the probability is high that he is aware of both Kira and I's real names it means that he must have happened upon each of us prior, most likely within the last few days." Ryuzaki explained, his fingers beginning to move swiftly across the keyboard.

"What is the percent that he knows who you are, Ryuzaki?" The chief asked, his tone somewhat hesitant.

"Hm… About 87 percent…"

"That high?" The oldest Yagami inquired, a startled look appearing on his usually calm face, "But how did you get that from the tape we just watched? He didn't mention either of yours name, he just proved his existence and threatened you."

"Perhaps… It is just a hunch…"

L stared at his computer screen intently, deciding to keep his discoveries hidden for the moment. Proof or not, he was certain that if he attempted to bring up the fact that he suspected Light of being the first mass murderer he would rile up the whole investigation team, especially the chief who seemed so insistent on his son's innocence. It was a shame, really, that all those men could so easily fall under the brunette's manipulation.

_It would appear as though things have changed again…_ He thought as he enjoyed the delicious chocolate of the cake, _this definitely is my most interesting case yet. _

"Given my initial idea that Death has met Kira and myself at one point within the last… Let's say three days... I believe it is safe to deduce that this new Kira only needs a face to kill like the second Kira."  
>Ignoring the overly dramatic gasp that came from non-other than Matsuda, Ryuzaki continued, "In that case this complicates things… However it does verify that this killer is most likely using a Death Note to commit these murders."<p>

Stopping his explanation to bring up a map on his computer, the detective studied the map of the world before zooming into Japan, and from there the Kanto region,

"Now, if it is true that he knows Kira's and my name by seeing us around, it means that both Kira, as I suspected originally, and Death live in the Kanto region of Japan." Pausing once more, Ryuzaki went further into the Kanto section of the map, close enough that now cities and popular streets could be seen, "If we take into account that within the last three days I have only left headquarters twice, we can narrow the search down even further until only two cities are left."

He marked the two sections under suspicion with red arrows before he returned to absentmindedly chewing on his thumb,

"Unfortunately, given the limited information and evidence left on the packaging and return address, that is all I am capable of concluding with certainty at the moment although there is a four percent chance that Death attends or was at To-Oh university today… But of course this is all speculation at the moment."

Immediately everyone's gaze turned from the munching detective to Light, who merely took to frowning slightly.

And just like that he knew he was out of the frying pan and into the fire.

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**I've had quite a bit of motivation for this story lately, I'm actually quite surprised that I managed to update again so soon :P**

**Anyway, I noticed a review was left on the last chapter telling me to remove the Japanese honorifics in the story, although I'm sorry to say I won't be doing that. I watched this show subbed and, in the sub version, they keep the honorifics so it is something I am used to seeing. It is because of that that I chose to write using the same honorifics. I apologize is that upsets some people, but it is what I like and so have every intention to continue using them.**

**That aside, thank you for the reviews. I look seeing what people think even if the reviews I've received lately are few and far in between. Thanks especially to KittensRgreat for telling me what you thought of different sections of the story (I really appreciated that) and Kaizen Kitty for giving me constructive criticism as to the whole honorifics thing ****J**

**Thank you everyone for reading, favoriting, and following too!**


	5. Chapter 5: The school of Death and Kira

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Death Note or its characters.**

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"What makes you think that Death goes to To-oh University?" Matsuda inquired, absentmindedly scratching his head, "That's a pretty specific place to suspect just by a hunch…"

"Not at all." Spinning his chair around to face the rest of the task force, the detective leaned his chin on his knees, "In the last three days I have left the headquarters only twice. Once when Light-kun insisted that he needed to get some fresh air and the other when Light-kun and I went to school. It is possible that the mass murderer could have seen me walking with Light-kun yesterday, although taking into account the sloppy packaging the video came in and the fact that the tape is typed and not recorded shows that this was made in haste. It is because of those reasons that I believe that he just found mine and Kira's names today, or, at the very least, mine, and sent the tape in right after."

He paused, taking a bite of his cake,

"If that is in fact the case it is obvious that this new Kira is efficient in his work and thus will be swift to act. If we want to catch him we have to be quicker." He crushed a section of cake under his fork.

"Wait, Ryuzaki…" The chief interjected, an uncertain expression crossing his face as he carefully chose his next words, "I may be wrong, but it sounds as though you are also implying that the original Kira may attend that University as well…"  
>"No, you are actually quite right, Mr. Yagami. I do indeed suspect the first Kira to be a student at To-oh University." Black eyes flickered over to Light, "In fact, I am sixty seven percent sure that Kira attends To-oh University too."<p>

Light discreetly rolled his eyes at the pointed expression the raven directed towards him. Now who was the liar?

"If that is the case than I want Light to change colleges immediately." Soichiro declared.

"What?" The brunette looked at his father in puzzlement, "Why?"

"I do not want either Death or the first Kira to find out who you are like they did L. If they find out you are helping the Kira investigation team they will most likely kill you."

"Dad, I don't-…"

"I assure you that that is not necessary, ." L interrupted idly, "Forcing Light-Kun to change schools will not protect him." _After all, no matter how hard I try, I cannot save him from himself. "_Besides, with the new information we have gathered as to the New Kira it will be critical that we begin our investigation of the school immediately. As it stands, Light-kun and I are the only ones young enough in appearance to attend college without suspicion…"

"Ryuzaki, that's not true!" Matsuda immediately announced, stepping closer to the detective, "I am too. I mean, I'm pretty sure we're around the same age…"

_I was hoping I could avoid this…_

"Perhaps Matsuda is correct however I am uncertain as to whether he is as capable of snooping around discretely as Light-Kun and myself. His little stunt at Yotsuba certainly does not help."

A light blush dusted the young Police Officer's face at the reminder,

"Yeah, I know I made a mistake, but…" His hands clenched at his sides as he looked down at the ground, his voice rising slightly, "But I want to make up for it now! I want to help! Please let me!"

Black eyes met similar dark brown ones as the two officers stared at one another, one silently pleading and the other virtually emotionless.

"…Very well…" The detective sighed softly, "If Matsuda is so insistent than I suppose he can join as well so long as he promises that this time he will refrain from making any rash decisions that could potentially put our whole investigation in jeopardy. He will only follow orders directly given from myself or another member of the task force, is that clear?"

Grinning, the somewhat dim witted taskforce member eagerly nodded,

"Of course! I won't make you guys regret this decision, I promise!"

"See to it that you heed that promise."

_I do hope I won't come to regret this later…_

Turning his chair to face his computer again, the detective placed his plate back on his desk before standing up,

"In that case I will see to it that Watari comes up with a fake identity for Matsuda so that he can enter To-oh under the guise of a freshman like Light-Kun and myself, although I will personally see to it that he takes classes different from mine and Light-kun's in order to thoroughly spread the investigation."

"If you want to cover more ground, Ryuzaki, then why don't you change your classes as well?" Light asked, a small surge of hope surging within him. _Maybe I will finally have some freedom to figure things out…_

"No, that is out of the question, Light-kun."

Just like that that small flame of hope was doused.

"And why not?" He asked indignantly. His arms crossing in a manner that was similar to that of his father.

_Light-kun truly is like his father… It really is a shame that he went down the wrong path… I am certain that if he truly wasn't Kira he would make a fine detective one day…_

"Because Death is already aware of my identity. Does Light-kun not think that Death would find it suspicious if I was to suddenly alter my entire schedule?"

Light frowned, _Dammit, he's right…_

_That leaves the option of me changing my schedule, but I already have all the work I am supposed to make up and, like Ryuzaki said, this new Kira already knows who I am too. He may become suspicious of my motives if I was to suddenly switch all my classes… No… L is right… That would be rash and would do nothing more than possibly put our lives in danger… _

"Fine… But if I agree to go through with this I need to make a few things clear."  
>"Hm? And what would that be, Light-kun?"<p>

Pretending as though he was concerned with the idea, Light gave the detective a steady look, putting on the act of a teenager who was intimidated with the new task at hand,

"I'll agree to looking around the University for clues as to who Death and Kira are, but I don't want to be as straight forward about it as you, Ryuzaki. I know that this the only way to catch them, but I don't want to die."

_Well, at least that last part was true…_

Soichiro nodded at his son's words,

"Of course, Light, I won't let Ryuzaki force you into doing anything you are not comfortable with." He sent the aforementioned raven a hard look, "You aren't even entitled to do this at all, Light. Your innocence was proven with the thirteen day rule, so Ryuzaki has no reason to keep you here any longer. You can leave and go back to your normal life; you're young and have a bright future ahead of you. To be honest I would prefer it if you were to quit the task force. I don't want to run the risk of Kira or Death killing you because they suspect you."

The chief turned from L to his son, a worried expression clouding his wrinkled face. It was the look of a father pleading with his son to take his advice.

"Dad…" Light began, offering his dad a soft, and as L noted, fake smile, "I know that you're worried about me and, to honest, the idea of Kira killing me scares me too, but I can't quit now. I need to clear my name completely because I know that Ryuzaki still suspects me. It is because of that that I have to help him find the real Kira and Death. Besides, I can't just leave and let this criminal continue on like he is. I have to help in whatever way I can. I hope you can understand…"  
><em>Light-kun is really a great actor…<em> L mused as he returned to munching on his cake, _He has managed to fool everyone on the task force into believing that he is just an innocent, justice loving college student who wants to prove to his father his worth as a detective… I wonder how Mr. Yagami will react when he finds out the true nature of his beloved son…_

"Light…" The chief's voice sounded defeated as he spoke, gently resting his hand on his 'perfect' son's shoulder, "I understand where you are coming from and I will not stop you. If you feel like this is something you must do then I am very proud of you…"  
><em>Oh, Light…<em> The old man thought sadly as he pulled his son into a hug, _You really are like me… I just hope you don't make the same mistakes as I did… Don't let this job consume your life. You are so young with so many possibilities, don't waste them away… Just make the right choices…_

Hugging his father back, the brunette allowed a sly smile to creep onto his lips as he faced the far wall.

_It really is too easy to trick you, dad…_ His smile twitched at the thought before it slowly lowered into a frown, _But… You only believe me so easily because you trust me… You love me and think everything I say is truthful, even when it's obvious that I'm lying… Why do you do that…?_

_Because he loves you_ a voice in his head reminded, _You trust the ones you love… Even when they are a mass murderer who doesn't even deserve the love he receives…_

As the hug ended and the two men pulled away, the brunette found himself staring at the ground, his bangs shielding his expression from view as his thoughts took a darker turn.

_I'm lying to my own father… Damn it… Why does that bother me now? It didn't before. Something as trivial as that hasn't bothered me since… Since before I discovered the Death note…_

Aware of all the other Task members returning to work, Light slumped down into his chair, ignoring the calculating look he was receiving from the detective in favor of staring down at his hands,

_Why… Why am I thinking like this…? This doesn't even make any sense..! I mean, before I had no problem killing anyone! But now… Now just the idea of writing down another name in the Death Note makes me want to throw up…_

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the teen looked back up at his computer and forced his attention to return to the screen. He couldn't waste time thinking about that now. Instead his top priority was to find this 'Death' guy and stop him before he slipped up and either revealed him to be the first Kira or, even worse, killed him.

Managing to push his thoughts to the back of his mind, the teen returned to his work, working intently for a good while before he was once more interrupted by a stoic voice,

"Light-kun?"

Hiding the irritation he felt at being interrupted, Light glanced at the raven from the corner of his eye, not surprised to find large black eyes staring back at him,

"Yes, Ryuzaki?"

"Where is the god of death Rem?"

"Rem? How should I know where she is?"

"Well, the rules in the notebook state that the God of Death who owns the book must follow the human that harvests ownership of it. Since you are Kira and the owner of the notebook I find it strange that she is not around you."  
>The brunette sighed at the question and dejectedly turned his chair to the side to face the detective,<p>

"Ryuzaki, you have been with me for two days straight, have you ever seen Rem around me before?"  
>"No…" The detective admitted somewhat reluctantly, "But I expected nothing less from Light-kun. Knowing that I was aware of the rules in the Death Note, I suspect that Light-kun told Rem to avoid him for that exact reason."<br>"That's a pretty good assumption, Ryuzaki, but you're wrong. I don't know where Rem is because I don't care where she is, not because I told her not be around me."  
>"Light-kun is quite the liar…"<p>

Swiveling around in his chair so he was facing the open area of the large HQ, the detective looked around,

"Rem?"  
>A few seconds of silence passed and the raven was about to repeat his call when suddenly a tall, white almost skeleton like figure emerged from the wall,<p>

"Yes?"  
>The creature's voice was as dull and emotionless as ever as she stared at the man who summoned her.<p>

"I am aware that Rem is unable to tell us the name of this new Death Note user, however I do not see any rule in there stating that she is unable to tell us who the god of death haunting the notebook is."

Rem remained silent for a moment as she studied L carefully,

"You are correct… There is no rule against revealing another Shinigami in the human world to a human because humans would still be unable to see them without touching their notebook…"  
>"What about with the Shinigami eyes? Will a human be able to see him then?"<br>"No… With the Shinigami eyes a human is only able to see both the lifespan of a human and their name."

"Then will you tell us who this new God of Death is? Another one has recently dropped their notebook, it would seem."  
>She gave him her usual, bored look,<p>

"I would not know which of the God of deaths have decided to come down. I have not returned since I originally dropped my notebook."

"Is there any way that she would be able to find out?" L tilted his head to the side inquisitively, "If we were to bring the notebook to the University would she be able to see the new God of death?"  
>"Yes, if I was to search around I believe I would be able to figure it out."<p>

"But I am guessing she won't?"

"That is correct."  
>Nodding his head as though he expected the female creature to not cooperate, the detective glanced back at his screen,<p>

"I see… Thank you, Rem, that proves my original assumptions."

The white god blinked at the detective in what could have only been shock,

"I have… Helped you?"

"Yes, quite a bit actually." He replied nonchalantly, "Rem just confirmed my suspicion that we would find the new Kira at the University. I figured as much, however I did wish to be certain."

_Damn it._

Glancing over his shoulder to glare at the still dumbfounded Shinigami, Light clenched the hand wrapped around the mouse tighter,

_It seems even though Rem is the smarter of the Gods of death she still can be manipulated… She just verified the fact that Death attends To-oh University and in return that proves that Kira does as well…_

If L's small smile was any clue the brunette knew that even the insomniac himself was proud of his accomplishment.

_Tch, I'm surrounded by idiots… _ The teen seethed.

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**This chapter was a bit shorter than the others I have written, but it was just meant to be a short information chapter. The story will pick up again next chapter.**

**Thank you for everyone who read, favorite, followed, and especially reviewed ^.^**

**Next chapter: **

**Light, L and Matsuda go to school! Because Matsuda going undercover is such a great idea. **


	6. Chapter 6: Suspect 1: Teru Mikami

"Matsuda…" L began, his tone low as he clamped his hand on the tea cup that seemed seconds from tumbling down as the seat repeatedly moved, "For the last time please remain still. He has already spilt a cup of my tea and I do not wish for it to happen again."

Light couldn't help but let out a soft snicker at the detective's words as he stared out the window of the limo,

_Tea? Please, that cup was filled to the brim with sugar, there was hardly any liquid actually in there._

"Sorry, Ryuzaki…" The young police officer mumbled, the smile that seemed permanently etched on his face all day fading slightly, "I just can't help it. I'm so excited!"

"Yes, I have gathered as much from the last seven times Matsuda has said so."

Idly dropping another cube of diabetes into his overflowing drink, the detective spared a glance at the brunette, who seemed to be pretending to ignore them.

"Well, I haven't been to college in a while and I miss it." The dim witted adult admitted, a hand coming up to scratch at the back of his head sheepishly, "Sorry if I'm irritating you…"  
>"It is fine." The raven stated, obviously lying as he stared down at his sugary concoction, "We have more important matters to discuss."<p>

Finally finding the need to look over at the two other passengers in the limo, Light picked his head up from his palm and focused his attention from the window to Matsuda and L,

"You're right. We have to make sure everything goes smoothly."

"Indeed, Light-kun."

Pausing to take a sip of his overly sweetened drink, the detective placed the now empty cup down,

"As we discussed earlier it is necessary that Matuda gets dropped off outside of the college to ensure Death does not spot him and grow suspicious of his motives. If he truly is aware of my name, which has the probability of about 89%, then I believe he will be wary of anyone I am seen socializing with."

"Then shouldn't Light get off separately too?" Matsuda inquired, "Death may begin to think he's helping you, Ryuzaki."

_That's unlikely…_ Light mused dryly to himself, his expression remaining apathetic, _whoever this death is he already knows I'm Kira, so to suddenly stop hanging around Ryuzaki will appear to be even more suspicious, but I doubt that's something Matsuda would understand even if he knew who I really was._

"No. If Death truly saw me attending the University yesterday then he no doubt saw me around Light-kun. If I was to suddenly act as though I was unaware of his presence there is a 74% chance he will notice and a 24% chance he will grow hostile in an attempt to deflect the situation. This could potentially result in the death of either Light-kun or myself." _Most likely myself…_

"Oh… I never thought of that…" The police officer admitted, "But doesn't that mean Light is in a lot of danger too? If Death knew he was working for L…" He trailed off, knowing that the outcome was not something that needed to be stated aloud.

"Yes, it does." The detective agreed bluntly as he plopped a sugar cube into his mouth, his mind wandering.

_Kira is in just as much trouble as I, however I wonder just what Light will resort to if he's backed further into a corner… The ability to kill anyone he desires so easily is certainly something that must go to your head. If he was to feel threatened or if he was to think that someone was attempting to defy his flawed ideals there is no saying what he would be capable of… Just like Death…_

"The Chief won't like that… He's already against Light coming back to To-oh…"  
>"I know my father isn't too happy with my decision, but I also know that he trusts me to make my own choices. Besides, Death probably already knows who I am anyway, so it won't make much of a difference whether I dropped the case or not." The brunette explained, his words only beginning to sound resolute as he continued, honey eyes hardening on black ones, "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to clear my name."<p>

"Oh, is that what this is all about?" The naïve officer inquired, seemingly oblivious to the challenging look the two others were sharing, "Ryuzaki already cleared you, Light. Remember the 13 day rule? It proved that you couldn't have been Kira because if you were you would have died during your confinement."  
><em>If only everyone was as easy to fool as you, Matsuda, but then again I guess that just wouldn't be any fun.<em>

"Yes, I know, but I'm sure Ryuzaki was just saying that to appease the task force." Light stately bitterly, "I know he still suspects me as much as he did the first time he saw me."

_But I'm not Kira anymore… He's wrong…_

"What?" Matsuda blinked, shocked, "Ryuzaki, how can you still suspect him? I mean… The 13 day rule!"

"Yes, I am aware of that rule, Matsuda and, had you all allowed me, I would have been able to test it out. Had the criminal I wanted to use it died after 13 consecutive day of not writing in the notebook all suspicion from Light Yagami would have been cleared, however I was unable to test it due to the task force's insistence…" He muttered the last part as though he was a child who didn't get his way, "That aside, since I am not 100% certain that rule is real I do not believe it. Therefore Light is still the only suspect for the original Kira."  
>"You're really stubborn, you know that, Ryuzaki? You just can't get it through your mind that I'm innocent."<p>

"I apologize Light-kun but I cannot believe what I know to be untrue."

Silence dwindled within the car as Light took to merely glaring at the raven, barely managing to suppress his growing anger. Just who the hell did L think he was anyway? He didn't know anything about Kira or his ideals so who was he to judge? Especially when his system of justice was just as flawed as his own.

Matsuda, on the other hand, looked as though he wanted to continue the conversation but, after seeing the deadly look the brunette was sending towards the detective, decided against it. He certainly didn't want that look to be redirected towards him.

After a few minutes of awkward silence the limo slowed down to a stop, allowing Matsuda to get out so that he could walk the next few blocks to the University and thus their plan began.

DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN

The remainder of the ride to the campus and the short walk to the rivals first class was completed in silence, both far too preoccupied with their own nonsensical musings to even attempt to craft a halfhearted conversation that would, in theory, help the awkward air surrounding them to dissolve. Instead they took to walking side by side, their strides easily matching as their trek progressed.

L, never having really been one for casual conversation, was perfectly content mulling his plan over in his mind in favor of conversing with his suspect. He had to make sure that this plan was perfect with not even the slightest fault. One wrong move and it could lead to his death; that much he was certain of.

Bringing a finger up to chew on his thumb thoughtfully, the raven's stare hardened on the ground. _My_ _plan is bound to work_, he figured, his eyes wide, _I have evaluated all the possible outcomes and have based my actions accordingly. There is no way anything can go wrong…_

After all, his plans were always perfect and without fail. He prided himself on his ability to solve any case regardless of the difficulty, so this case was surely no different. All he had to do was find this new Death, prove Light was Kira and then he would finally be able to retire the case. L would be credited with catching and killing the most ruthless murderer in history.

His teeth dug into his flesh harder at that thought, his stomach churning slightly at the mere idea.

For some reason the notion of disposing of Light made him feel sick.

That wasn't right… Light was his enemy, he should have no problem punishing him according to justice like he had originally planned… But… But for some reason that idea no longer seemed as reassuring and wonderful as it once did…

_Perhaps Light-Kun was right… _The detective mused, his gaze subtly shifting to the perfect looking boy beside him, _All the sugar I consumed this morning must have resulted in a unprecedented stomach ache… I shall merely have to request for Watari to deliver some medication…_

Yes, that was it. The reason for his sudden uneasiness had to be because his stomach finally protested against the sugary treats he always crammed in it. It certainly had nothing to do with the fact that he could possibly care more about the teenager than just an acquaintance…

No, that was simply out of the question…

The pressure on his thumb only increased at the idea that he was lying to himself.

Meanwhile, Light's thoughts were somewhat different. Instead of reevaluating the predetermined plan they had crafted the night before or experiencing a small mental crisis like the raven, the brunette found his mind to wander instead to the conversation Ryuzaki had with Rem; the one chat that proved just how incompetent Shinigami could be.

The female god of death had slipped up and inadvertently admitted that the new Kira was at the university, however that was not the fact that bothered him… Well, not entirely anyway.

What was really nagging at his mind was the fact that the monster even knew at all. How was she aware of a god of death being in the human world let alone his or her exact location? It just didn't make sense when he compared it to what Ryuk had once told him.

When the second Kira had first arrived the teen had asked his god of death whether or not he knew who the new Kira was. Of course he was aware that even if the apple lover had known he wouldn't have told the scholar because he was 'on no one's side', however it was obvious that Ryuk truly did not know just who the new Kira was nor did he know who dropped the second notebook into the human world. While the Shinigami wasn't helpful the brunette was certain that, had the creature known, he would have taken great pleasure in flaunting the notion just to see the irritated expression on his face.

If Light was to go by that information he was certain that gods of death did not tend to keep track of one another, therefore there was no plausible reason that Rem would have known the whereabouts of Death unless she saw him herself… Which meant…

The female Shinigami had followed him to school regardless of his order not to.

He just barely managed to keep a frown from showing on his face at the thought of the other's disobedience. Did she not know how catastrophic it would have been had L managed to spot her at one point during the day? It would have proven that he was Kira!

No…

She knew alright, it was obvious that she just didn't care.

He was definitely going to have to talk to her about that.

His gaze drifted to the early morning sky as he stifled a soft sigh. He just couldn't wait to get this day over with.

"Light-Kun?"

Clenching his teeth in slight annoyance at the other's sudden voice, the teen hesitated for a moment before redirecting his gaze to the hunched man trotting on beside him,

"What is it, Ryuzaki?"

"I do not mean to alarm Light-kun, however that man sitting at the table to the right has been staring at him for the past minute and ten seconds…"  
>"That's nice…" Light muttered, sparing a glance at the direction Ryuzaki indicated, however he could hardly bring himself to care. It was more likely that the man was staring at the oddly positioned and horridly groomed detective than himself anyway.<p>

"I believe it is the student Light-Kun was conversing with in Literature yesterday. Teru Mikami, if I recall correctly."  
><em>Mikami… <em>That's right… He was the strange man with the briefcase that he had spoken to the day before out of sheer politeness. He honestly found no interest in conversing with the stranger, although it seemed as though the same could not be said for the latter.

"He probably just recognizes us from class. He…"  
>His sentence trailed off as his gaze lingered on the properly dressed, bespectacled man that was watching him intently, his words from yesterday echoing through his mind,<p>

_"So, Yagami-San, what are you majoring in?"_

Mikami had known his last name when he only introduced himself by giving out his first. While it was not exactly uncommon for students to learn of others full names throughout the course of the school year that was the first time the brunette had ever even seen the professional looking man at University. At first he had supposed that the student had enrolled while he was on a sudden break due to the Kira case and that was still his suspicion, although if that was indeed the case than there was no reason he should have known his name…

Had he heard his name around campus? It was plausible, yes, seeing as he was one of the two individuals that had scored a perfect score on the entrance exam, yet that still didn't seem to add up. When he had pressed onto the man and inquired as to how he was aware of his last name he did not smile and calmly inform him that many knew him due to his perfect score. Instead he seemed uncomfortable and stuttered on his words, swiftly coming up with an excuse fit for the babbling Matsuda.

He reacted in the exact way one would when they accidentally slipped up and revealed more information than they were planning to, Light could spot it a mile away. After all, manipulating people into accidentally admitting to more than they meant to was a specialty of Kira's.

"Why has Light-Kun stopped?" L asked, his body only inches from the teen due his inability to understand the meaning of personal space, "Does he wish to speak to Mikami?"

"No…" Light's tone was low and brief, showing that his thoughts were elsewhere.

"Well then I suggest Light-Kun continue walking because Mikami is walking over to speak to Light-Kun."

That managed to catch the scholar's attention as he peered from the side of his eyes to find that the shaggy haired man was indeed making his way over to them, his black briefcase held securely in his hand.

_I wonder why he always seems to have that briefcase so close to him…_

"Ryuuga…" The teen spared a small, feigned smile to the student approaching them before muttering to the detective under his breath, "I think we may want to look further into Mikami…"

"Hm? Does Light-Kun suspect him as being a suspect as well?"

As well? Does he… L already suspected the strange man to be Death?

"Yes…"

"Very good. It would seem as though Light-Kun came to the same conclusion as myself."

Damn… He already knew…

"If Light-Kun can distract Mikami I can look through his briefcase…"  
>By now the man was nearly to them, a small smile on his face as he gave Light a wave that the teen half-heartedly returned before whispering,<p>

"Fine, I'll talk to him, just make sure you get it from him."

Shit. Now he had to have a conversation with this guy… He supposed it wouldn't be too hard; just flash him one of his charming smiles and inquire about the man's studies and he was certain that in no time at all the bespectacled man would be putty in his hands just like they always were.

"Hey, Light, Ryuuga." The shaggy haired man greeted as he finally made it to them, his black eyes flickering from the brunette to the raven, the smile on his face looking as though it was straining to appear friendly but instead seemed sinister and secretive. Light didn't like it one bit.

"Hey, Mikami. Good morning." Light replied, his superior acting skills showing through as he smiled warmly at the other, a welcoming presence muffling the irritated one he was attempting to suppress.

"Hello."

Ryuzaki's greeting was short and simple, not even attempting to sound polite or even interested. Instead his voice was monotone, threatening to sound almost bored. However, if the shaggy haired man noticed he didn't say anything or even imply that he recognized the other's rudeness. Instead he merely subtly tightened his grip on his briefcase and focused his attention on the more conversational of the two,

"Good morning. Are you ready for Literature?"

Light shrugged nonchalantly, his grin never wavering,

"I suppose, but it's a little dull."

Mikami indulged the teen with a light chuckle before replying, obviously eager to contribute to the conversation, just as Light had predicted.

_Truly, people really are too easy to figure out. _

L, temporarily forgotten as the chat escalated from Literature to school to future goals, took his invisibility for advantage as he took to carefully studying the two students, his thumb pressed up to his mouth in thought.

Teru Mikami, as his research showed, was a very intelligent young man who believed highly in justice. He was currently studying to become a prosecuting authority and received straight A's throughout his schooling. Admitably he was actually a pretty fitting foe, L mused, however his intellect was far from matching that of his and Light's. He also appeared to have been the victim of bullying in his younger years, making it so it was not completely improbable to assume that he saw his abusers to be criminals. If that was indeed true than that could explain his reasoning behind becoming Death. His strong sense of justice seemed adequate enough.

The motives added up. As was typical of a long term victim of bullying he no doubt wanted to exact revenge on the ones who insulted him and hurt him, the ones who he probably saw as criminals. If he were to find the Death Note the detective was certain that this individual would use it to 'delete' the vermin from the world, just like he wanted to when he was being mentally and physically scarred from his school yard tormenters.

_Is that it?_ He wondered, _Have we really found the third Kira this easily?_

The idea itself was intriguing in itself, however they now found a new issue forming. As it stood he had no hard evidence that Mikami was, in fact, Death. The only reasoning he had to even suspect the college student was the notions he had deduced through pure reasoning; nothing that could be used in court.

It seemed as though he was back to square one, just as he was with the Kira case and it frustrated him to no end. Once again he was almost certain he had the right criminal, he just lacked the physical evidence to condemn them….

Just like with Light Yagami and Misa Amane…

_If I find his Death Note that will be all I will need to arrest Teru Mikami for being Death…._

L's black eyes drifted from the conversing duo to the spotless black briefcase now set on the ground beside the soon to be attorney. Apparently his chat with Light managed to relax him to the point in which he felt secure enough to put the bag down.

_I wonder… Why is Mikami so attached to that briefcase…?_

Silently, Ryuzaki crept behind the two students and, making certain to watch the shaggy haired man's every move, the detective carefully edged the briefcase from its owner's side. Mikami seemed ignorant to the movement and the raven was quietly impressed at Light's skills. He really could catch a person's attention entirely when he wanted to.

He paused for a moment, watching the two suspect's exchange for another moment before finding it safe to pry deeper into the briefcase.

Opening the container with a silent click, the detective had just peeked into the makeshift backpack, his gaze landing on a small black book when a voice directed to him spoke,

"Excuse me, but what do you think you are doing?"

_A black notebook… Could it be…? A Death Note…?  
><em>DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN

_I can do this… I can do this… I won't let them down again!_

Mentally chanting those words over and over again in his head, Matsuda made his way to his first class with an unusually determined look on his face.

He could do this! He would do just what Light and Ryuzaki told him and he would prove to be a big help in this case, that he promised.

After all, his job was simple enough. He just had to attend all his college classes and watch out for suspicious behavior. Easy Peasy detective work.

The police officer's somewhat off-putting determined expression softened for a moment as he allowed a proud smile to slip through his defenses.

This was going to be so much fun! He was already at the college and, as far as he knew, he hadn't attracted any unusual attention. He was doing great so far! Except for one little thing…

He had absolutely no idea where he was going…

With that last thought his smile swiftly faded to a nervous frown.

_Oh no… I can't mess up already! Come on, what kind of police officer would I be if I couldn't find a simple calculous class?!_

Apparently a bad one because he was completely and utterly lost. Having never been on such a prestigious school's grounds before he was not aware of the layout and thus had not the foggiest idea as to where the heck his class was.

It was only day one and he was already a screw up.

"Oh no…"  
>He scratched worriedly at his head and fumbled with the little pocket map of the school Ryuzaki had given him earlier that morning. The little paper had the basic design of the university imprinted on it and it looked like it would have been easy enough to understand had he had any notion as to where he was currently…<p>

"Well… I think I'm here… Or here… Oh wait, I think that sign looks familiar! … Wait… No, that's not right…"

"Is something wrong?"  
>Jumping in visible surprise at the sudden voice, the dim witted detective accidentally dropped the map and looked up at the stranger in shock,<p>

"O-oh, Hey!" His voice was almost a squeak before he paused for a moment to calm himself back down, "I mean, hi, uh, nothing's wrong…"  
>"Are you sure?" The man smiled, "I heard you mumbling and huddling over your map, so I was just wondering if you were lost."<br>"Oh… Well… Yeah, kind of…" Matsuda admitted, a sheepish look creeping on his face, "I just enrolled here and I don't know where I'm going…"  
>"Well, where's your class? I'm a freshman here but I know the grounds well enough."<p>

Happily, the lost officer showed his schedule to the polite student and, to his relief, was pointed in the right direction. It seemed as though he had taken a right a few buildings back instead of a left.

"Thank you very much." Matsuda grinned, his worry about failing his friends yet again disappearing.

"No problem, I'm just glad I can help."

The detective nodded and let out a nervous chuckle,

"I really appreciate it. I didn't know what else to do. The map wasn't too much help…"  
>Suddenly reminded of the map, Matsuda glanced down at the ground, just barely stifling a groan as he found his once clean map now soaking wet in a puddle. Ink was dripping down the drenched parchment and he knew all hope of deciphering it was long gone.<p>

"There goes my map…"  
>"Oh, that stinks… Don't worry about it, though. I'll walk with you to your class and show you where to get a new one."<br>"Really? Thanks that would really be a big help!"

The bespectacled student merely smiled in return and shrugged,

"No big deal."  
>"I'm Matsuda, by the way."<p>

"Matsuda…?" Another small smile crept up onto the friendly stranger's face as he held his hand out to the once lost man, "Nice to meet you, Matsuda. I'm Yamamoto."

DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN  
><strong>Sorry for the delay with this chapter. I haven't had time to write until just recently, though I had been wanting to get this down for a few weeks now :P Hope you enjoyed. Please tell me what you think ^.^<strong>


	7. Chapter 7: The small, black book

_Excuse me, but what do you think you are doing?"_

_A black notebook... Could it be…? A Death Note…?_

L's naturally wide eyes stared unblinkingly into the briefcase, a million different thoughts forming in his head. A part of him noticed that he had been caught snooping in Mikami's bag, however that was hardly a surprise, considering he had willingly gone through with the little snatch well aware that the chance of being caught was near ninety percent. He just could not bring himself to really care.

He was just about to reach into the container to get a better view of the notebook when his wrist was suddenly grabbed and shoved away, effectively causing him to stumble and fall onto his rear, a somewhat dazed look appearing on his pale face.

"I know you are not deaf so do not act like you did not hear me." Mikami's voice was almost a growl as he swiftly closed his bag back up, the handles returning to his vice like grip, "So I am also aware that it is not necessary to repeat my previous question."  
>"It is not polite to push others, Mikami." The detective lightly scolded, easily lifting himself back up from the ground, a platonic yet unnerving look on his face, "However, he was correct in his assumption that I heard his question, I just did not find the need to answer it."<br>Black eyes narrowed at the detective due to his rude word choice and it looked as though the shaggy haired male was visibly bristling in anger,

"You do know it is illegal to go through another's personal property, don't you? Or are you just that socially inept?"

"I assure Mikami that I am well aware of the laws. Similarly I must remind him that attacking another without viable reason is also against social standards as well as lawful ones." This time it was Ryuzaki's turn to narrow his eyes, "Mikami is awfully protective of that bag; I can't help but wonder why that is."

"That's none of your business."

"Ah, I figured Mikami would say something along those lines."

"You what…? …. It doesn't even matter," His tone suddenly lowered as he stepped closer to the detective, a dark look appearing in his eyes as he spoke just loud enough for the raven to hear, "If you know what is good for you then you'll leave my stuff alone."  
>L blinked owlishly at the obvious threat, his thumb coming up to his mouth as he sent the student a curious look,<p>

"Is that a threat?"

"A threat?" He let out a low chuckle, "Of course not, Ryuuga. Threats are against the law. That was just a helpful warning between friends."  
>"Friends…"<br>Subconsciously, Ryuzaki glanced from the Death suspect to the brunette, a slight frown threatening to cloud his features,

_Mikami is not a friend… I do not have friends, that is, aside from Light-Kun, however I am not certain if that is even what we are… Hm… Well, I suppose that I do consider Light to be a friend… In which case that would make it so Mikami is not…_

"I see…"  
>Taking the raven's response to be an acceptance of his warning, the long haired male was about to turn to regard Light again when a force against his side instead sent him onto his backside, his glasses tumbling down beside him.<p>

"An eye for an eye, Mikami."

Easily lowering his foot back to the ground, the detective turned and began walking away, seemingly through with the conversation. It was obvious that Mikami was hiding something and, thanks to his impromptu investigation, L had a pretty good idea as to what that something was.

"I am going now, Light-Kun. Is he not going to join me?"

Still somewhat startled by the conversation between the two black haired men, the brunette found himself looking from one male to another, unsure as to what to do.

What the hell did Ryuzaki think he was achieving by antagonizing the lead suspect? If this guy really was Death he was practically digging his own grave.

Not willing to give up his act just because of the older male's childish antics, Light decided to continue his polite façade and carefully helped the student onto his feet before handing him the discarded briefcase,

"Are you alright?"

He was met with a slight nod.

"Sorry about Ryuuga, he can get a little… Moody sometimes…"  
><em>Well, at least that wasn't a total lie…<em>

"No kidding…" Mikami muttered, his tone indignant as he openly glared at the waiting insomniac.

"Here…" Leaning down, Light picked up the now toppled over glasses and, after discretely feeling them for any cuts or breaks, handed them back to the law student, who eagerly placed them on.

"Anyway, I'm going to go get breakfast… I'll see you in Literature…"  
>Without really giving the man a chance to respond, the mass murderer flashed Mikami another charming grin before turning and walking away, Ryuzaki following readily.<p>

"Light, wait."

Pausing in his escape, the teen hesitated for a moment, wondering whether or not he could continue walking, pretending as though he never heard the student's call.

"Yeah, Mikami?"

Damn it, sometimes his polite façade really grated on his nerves.

"Here's my number."

He turned his head slightly to the side before reaching out and gingerly accepting the card presented to him, pocketing it with a small smile.

"Thanks…"

He received only a short nod in response before the shaggy haired brief case holder sent the raven one last irritated glare and walked away, gifting the brunette with a small 'See you later' with a somewhat sour expression contorting his face.

It was obvious that that conversation did anything but please him.

The brunette eagerly followed suit, walking off to where the detective was waiting for him before moving as far away in the opposite direction from the suspect he could get.

It was only once both Light and L were certain the suspect was not within hearing range that the sugar freak spoke softly,

"I take it Light-Kun put a tracking device and bug on Mikami's glasses like was discussed?"

Light nodded.

"That approach was unethical, but it worked. Chances are he will always have those on him, so we'll be able to track both his movements and listen in to what he says."

"Very good…"

The detective seemed to hesitate for a moment, allowing a brief silence to fall between the two.

"Light-Kun?"

"What is it, Ryuuga?"

L gave the teen a steady look, his teeth biting anxiously down at his thumb,

"If I die within the next few days it is safe to assume that Mikami is, in fact, Death."

Light merely nodded in understanding, wondering why just the notion of what L's words implied left him with a sick feeling in his gut.

DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN

The rest of the day proved to be somewhat unproductive. Luckily they did not have Literature again that day, so the two geniuses managed to avoid any further awkward confrontations.

They merely attended all their classes, going from Calculus, to Chemistry, to American History without any real trouble. It appeared as though Literature was, so far, the only class the two shared with the could be murderer and Light had to admit that he was silently thankful for that. While it was true that he was here to help with the Kira investigation he was also an actual student who had to maintain a certain average in order to both remain in the school and retain his position at the top of his class.

L, on the other hand, didn't seem to care one bit about the work he received nor did he even look up at the teacher's lectures throughout the day. Instead he seemed much more interested in forcing himself into a sugar rush as he spent each class period organizing and consuming a new sweet.

It was that same irritating habit that nearly had the detective thrown out of calculous. Well, that and the fact that he was lacking a pair of shoes.

Apparently as the day progressed the shoes had begun to annoy him, so naturally he decided it was necessary to remove them and promptly throw them away, which only served to anger the brunette more.

Sure the things were ratty and ugly beyond belief but they were certainly better than no shoes at all. His calculus teacher had agreed with his thoughts and would have sent the detective from his class immediately had it not been only minutes before class was due to end anyway.

It was because of that small stroke of luck that L was let off with only a warning that if he showed up to class again with no shoes and a bag full of candy he was not going to be staying very long.

For some reason Light figured that that class would be one that the raven wouldn't ever spend much time in.

"I do not understand why Mr. Murray was so frustrated with me…" L muttered, an almost grave look on his face as he and the younger teen made their way off campus, their classes for that day officially over, "Does he not understand the evil that is the footwear industry? Shoes are almost as bad as socks…"

This time Light couldn't help but roll his eyes at the detective's childish complaints. How Ryuzaki expected to get by without suspicion in public with his obviously weird traits was beyond him. After all, there weren't many individuals that constantly sat in a crouch, seemed to harbor an insatiable desire for sweets and held a vendetta against both socks and shoes and for that the honors student was thankful. The last thing he needed was to deal with another L.

"You know, Ryuuga, you were actually lucky that your candy and lack of footwear were the only things the teacher addressed." Light pointed out, the hand not holding his bag gesturing to his overall sloppy appearance, "Your attire is hardly suited for this college and your way of sitting is also probably not acceptable by their standards. If you ask me he cut you a break."

"I do not see anything wrong with my clothing choice either. As for the way I sit, it is not something I choose to do, it is simply the best way for me to think within the best of my abilities, however I am aware Light-Kun knows that already."

"Yes, Ryuuga, I do." He sighed, knowing how futile that conversation was, "Look, just listen to the teacher."  
>He was met with a pout as L begrudgingly agreed with Light's words. It wouldn't do for him to draw even more attention to himself by defying teachers.<p>

"Anyway…" The honors student discretely glanced around their surroundings before training his attention on his hunched 'friend', "You never told me what you saw in Mikami's briefcase. Based on your reaction I think it's safe to say you found something worthwhile."  
>"Light-Kun is observant as always. Yes, I did find something that could help our search immensely."<p>

Idly plopping a grape into his mouth, the detective continued, "There was a small black notebook hidden in Mikami's bag. It was backwards so I was unable to read the cover, although I believe there is a sixty percent chance that it is a death note."  
>"A death note? Really?"<br>The brunette could feel his heartbeat quicken at the news, however his expression remained calm.

_Is Mikami really Death? Have we really found him this quickly? But… Even if we have, I'm sure he knows it by now… In that case what is actually keeping us alive? If he suspects that we know who he is why hasn't he written our names down yet?_

_What is he planning?_

"I suppose that would be why you told me what you did earlier?"

L nodded solemnly.

"Indeed, Light-Kun. I no longer have any doubts in my mind that Mikami, if he is Death, is already aware that I suspect him of being the third Kira. Now, if that is true then that could easily mean he sees me as an evener bigger threat and disposes of me earlier than he had planned. That is why I told Light-Kun what I did, although I suppose it would not be of much help. Kira would have no reason to deliver my information over to the task force once I am gone because my demise would allow him access to freely speak to Death as he wishes."  
>"Yes, perhaps that would be convenient for Kira but, like I have told you countless times before, I wouldn't know because I am not him."<br>L nodded, his usual thumb at his mouth,

"Yes, so Light-Kun keeps saying. I must say he is very talented at denying the truth. I believe a lesser person may actually believe him."

_Like Matsuda…_

It was no sooner that that thought rushed through his mind that a familiar form came into view, a big smile on his face as the man seemingly chatted with a fellow black haired student… A student that, for one reason or another, looked familiar as well.

"Hey, Light, Ryuz-… Uuga!"

Matsuda called, stuttering on his last word as he managed to catch his mistake last minute.

_What an idiot…_ Ryuzaki mused bitterly to himself.

"Hey, Matsuda." The brunette greeted back, his ever so respectful front standing tall, "And Yamamoto. I wasn't aware you two knew each other."  
><em>Yamamoto?<em> The detective's attention switched from the undercover police officer to the bespectacled man beside him curiously, _That is why he seems familiar… Light had spoken to him briefly yesterday…_

Going by the other's conversation the day before the raven figured it was safe to conclude that Yamamoto was an old friend of Light's, most likely a high school friend, although L couldn't help but wonder why that was. This Yamamoto fellow seemed average in intellect and looks, making him nothing really special. He was clumsy and lanky, nothing like the graceful and perfect brunette.

L couldn't say he saw the other's appeal.

"Actually, I just met him this morning. I kind of got lost and he helped me…" Matsuda explained somewhat sheepishly, "It's a small world, huh?"

_Well, idiots do tend to conjugate together…_

"Yeah, I guess so." Light gave a good natured laugh, and L could tell right away it was forced, however neither Matsuda nor Yamamoto seemed to notice, "Thanks for helping him out, Yamamoto."

"No problem." The bespectacled man smiled back, "How did you and him meet? I don't remember him ever going to our old high school."

"You're right, he didn't." The brunette agreed, a lie easily coming to his lips, "I actually know him because-…"  
>"Because he's my cousin!" The undercover officer interrupted, a confident look crossing his face as he no doubt believed his fib to have saved Light from being put in an awkward position.<p>

_Matsuda, you idiot…_

That thought appeared in both the genisus's minds as they stared at their comrade in barely concealed annoyance.

"Yes… He's my cousin…" _Because that seems completely logical…_

"Really? I didn't know you had any cousins that lived nearby, Light."

_Neither did I…_

"Well, actually, he just came down to attend To-oh for a little while." He explained coolly, not a trace of deception showing through in his voice.

Luckily for them Yamamoto seemed to have no visible trouble accepting the ridiculous excuse and instead merely smiled and nodded,

"Ah, well that's pretty cool. I have to get going, but let's all hang out soon, 'kay?"

"Sure."

"See you later then."

Giving the somewhat odd group another grin Yamamoto walked away from the group, although for a moment Light could have sworn he spotted the grin slip into a smirk as his friend turned.

He hesitated a moment, pondering the idea before giving his head a small shake. He was just looking too into things, Yamamoto was as dopy and innocent as they came. He more than likely imagined the strange look because of being around the quirky detective for so long.

"Come on, we have wasted enough time. Let us return to the task force."

"Oh, about that, L…"

The detective's dark eyes turned from the retreating back of Light's 'friend' to the incompetent man standing in front of him,

"Yes, Matsuda?"

"I don't know if I can go to the task force after all today…"

One black eye widened and Light figured it meant the detective was raising an eyebrow (if he even had one that is) at the fidgeting adult,

"And why is that?"

"Well, I kind of have a lot of homework to do, especially since I just joined in the middle of a semester and all…"

Silence filtered among the group as L stopped walking completely, his gaze blank as he stared at Matsuda in what the brunette could not decide was shock or exasperation.

"…"

"Matsuda does remember that he is not an actual student… Correct? He is not here to achieve good grades, he is here to instead look for clues on Death…"

"Oh, right! I almost forgot about that."

At least he had the decency to look embarrassed by his mistake.

_Matsuda… You idiot…_

For one reason or another both the raven and the brunette knew that that would not be the first or last time that thought crossed their minds.

DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN

The rest of the day had been uneventful to say the least. There were no further videos for them to analyze and the results for the residue left behind on the packaging came up with nothing. The only prints detected belonged to the mailman and the tape was void of any hairs or dust fibers, leading the detectives to believe that the individual that sent it was a neat freak.

He was certainly good, both young men had to give the killer that much. It appeared as though he was more competent than Misa in the respect that he actually ensured that no prints were left behind that would potentially lead to his identity being revealed. The box it arrived in was pristine, devoid of bumps and dents, even the tape was perfectly flat. The attention to detail appeared to be rivaling obsessive compulsive.

Aside from the incriminating video that threatened the identities of both the World's Greatest Detective and the mass murder Kira the task force found themselves lacking any and all further evidence. Their suspicions of Mikami being the new Kira proving to be useless at the moment seeing as all their ideas were mere speculation at the time. They had no hard evidence in their possession, making it so they could do nothing more than look into the one known as Teru Mikami, however even that proved to be rather fruitless. As a young man the only information on him that L could find revolved around his somewhat impressive grades and his high score on the To-oh entrance exams.

It seemed as though they once again found themselves at a dead end; left to do nothing more than wait for the enemy to make another move for them to track, which only seemed to plunge the raven further into his self-proclaimed depression, much to Light's dismay. After all, a down detective was even worse than an irritating one.

With the absence of information to go on L dismissed the task force early, insisting on them leaving in favor of spending time with the family they no doubt hardly ever saw anymore.

Matsuda, for once, eagerly left the room, prattling on about the 'boatload of homework' that he still needed to attend to so that he did not fall behind in his classes, leaving Ryuzaki to once again question whether the air headed young man even had a brain.

Slowly but surely all the police officers filed out of the room, the Police Chief being the last of them as he hesitantly wavered at the door, his gaze shifting from his son to the odd detective.

"Light, you should come home. It's been a while and I'm sure your mother and sister will be happy to see you."

The old man sent the brunette an almost pleading look, silently portraying his desire to take his son back home with him where he was safe and not around the eccentric detective and his bad habits.

"Actually dad, I-…"  
>"I am afraid that I must insist that Light-Kun remain here with me." L interrupted easily, not appearing to care in the slightest that he had interrupted his so called friend in the middle of his sentence.<p>

"What? But he isn't a suspect anymore." The graying man pointed out, his tired eyes narrowing slightly at the raven, "You have no grounds to insist he stays here anymore, Ryuzaki."  
>"On the contrary, ." L absentmindedly plopped a grape into his mouth, his words becoming slightly muffled as he chewed, "The probability that Death is aware of Light-Kun's involvement in the case is high. In fact, I estimate it is around eighty seven percent."<p>

Old eyes widened considerably behind silver glasses as the chief stared at L in a mixture of astonishment, anger and disbelief,

"What? You mean that you put my son in danger again?!"  
>"Well, I suppose that would be a yes, although Light-Kun was well aware of that when he originally agreed to help on this case. I was under the impression you were as well, Mr. Yagami."<p>

"Well I…-…"

"It is no real matter, Mr. Yagami, what's done is done. As it stands I believe it to be unsafe for Light-Kun to venture too far from this building or his college. I would not put it past Death to attempt to either kill or kidnap Light-Kun in order to use him to try and discourage me from further pursuing this case."  
>"But you said they have your name, didn't you?" The old man asked, his face turning a shade paler at the mere idea of his son potentially being taken, "If he really wanted you off his case wouldn't it be easier to write your name in the notebook?"<p>

"Ah, I said that it was only a high probability that they are aware of my real name. Nothing is for certain yet, Mr. Yagami. However, I must admit that that is a thought that has also crossed my mind. I am not certain why Death has not killed me yet. I suspect it could perhaps be he believes he can intimidate me into silence or that he does not wish to only kill me. I suppose he may find the concept of my death to be unsatisfactory, especially if he harbors a grudge against me, which is rather probable. There are many people out there that are not fond of me or my work."  
>Light found himself staring at the detective incredulously as he spoke.<p>

_He mentions his death as though it is nothing… Isn't he… Isn't he afraid of dying? Or… Has he already accepted the idea that this will be his last case…?_

_Does L expect to be killed by Kira?_

"I…" The eldest Yagami paused, seemingly just as shocked as his son by what the detective said, "Just make sure my son stays safe, understood, L?"

"Of course, Mr. Yagami. Your son's safety is of utmost importance to me. He is my first friend."

_Even if he will be the one who possibility will kill me one day, I will ensure your son's safety… For my own selfish reasons…_

DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN

**_This chapter is a bit dull, I admit, however it was necessary filler of sorts. Next time more will happen that will probably be a bit more interesting._**

**_Also to get rid of any confusion, Yamamoto is an actual character in Death Note. He is shown briefly in the beginning and end of the series and was said to be a friend of Light's during his high school years. His character was never really emphasized so I'm just making a guess on what he acts like._**

**_Next time:_**

**_L and Light decide to play along with Mikami's little game by whatever means necessary. _**


	8. Chapter 8: If you were gay

Light stared blankly at the small card in his hand, absentmindedly fingering the now dulled edges. His brown eyes studied the black printed name and number repeatedly, almost as though he believed if he continued staring at it more words would magically appear on the otherwise blank canvas.

_Teru Mikami… _The brunette mused idly, _Just what are you playing at…?_

The card listed the suspect's name and number and Light would be lying if he said it didn't throw him off. It just didn't make any sense to him. Nothing Mikami was doing seemed to make the slightest amount of sense to him and he dared say L felt the same.

If he was Death, and that so far seemed to be a rather plausible if, why didn't he try to use a fake identity? Why did he just up and introduce himself with his given name when there was a chance he knew that he was speaking to the first Kira and L? Was he really that sure that they wouldn't be capable of convicting him as Death or was he just that stupid?  
>At the moment the brunette couldn't say… And that fact annoyed him more than he ever thought possible.<p>

He always knew what was going on; what happened and how to solve a problem but now… Now he didn't…

_This must be how Ryuzaki feels… Frustrated that he can't get the evidence he needs to convict Kira… me…._

A lightly tanned hand ran through brown locks as the honors student groaned to himself and stuffed the insulting paper back into his pocket, his actions laced with a surprising amount of animosity.

"Light-Kun seems annoyed." The detective not so helpfully pointed out, his eyes finally peeling away from his computer screen to instead focus on the irritated youth situated behind him, on the couch, "Did the card insult him?"  
>"Don't be ridiculous, Ryuzaki." Light growled, "I'm fine."<br>"Light-Kun should be aware that lying is futile around me."  
>"What makes you think I'm lying?"<br>"Now Light-Kun is attempting to change the subject by asking obvious questions."

The response was dry and matter of fact, increasing the student's anger all the more because the detective was right and the brunette knew it.

"I told you Ryuzaki, I'm fine. I guess I'm just getting tired."  
>"I see."<br>Black eyes switched from the visibly frustrated youth to instead regard the digital numbers glowing from the computer screen, somewhat surprised to find that it was already around eleven at night. At this rate the brunette was not going to get his necessary eight hours for school the next morning.

"In that case I believe it is best for Light-Kun to retire."

"I guess you're right…"  
>A part of L couldn't help but wonder why it was that Light was even still up. They were no longer handcuffed and he technically was no longer a set suspect in the case so he really held no obligation to remain up with the raven nor was he required to keep living at headquarters.<p>

He supposed that it became habit for the teen to stay up late with his so called friend. It was simply something that he picked up from the long nights he was forced to endure whilst being handcuffed to the insomniac, L was sure.

Light seemed to hesitate for a moment as he rose from the plush couch, mentally debating over some unspoken internal dilemma before he once again turned to the black haired man who had returned to staring at his work.

"I have Mikami's number…"  
>Ah, Ryuzaki was wondering when it was that that subject was going to be brought up.<p>

"Yes, I saw Mikami give it to Light-Kun, however the question is what Light-Kun wants to do with it."  
><em>With that number it is not completely implausible to rule out that Light will contact Mikami and, if they both do happen to be the first and third Kira, it is very possible that they will conjure up a deal in which will lead to my downfall… In that case why is it that Light-Kun is speaking to me about it? Perhaps it is a part of his plan? I shall have to speak to Watari about bugging his cell phone…<em>

"Well, honestly I want to throw it away, but I figured that it would be better to use it to our advantage."

_Where exactly is Light-Kun going with this?_

"Light-Kun is correct about that. It would be a waste to dispose of a number that could potentially belong to our suspect."

Behind him the raven could make out the sound of footsteps approaching before an arm reached over his shoulder, dropping off a small slip of paper on his keyboard.

"Here, Ryuzaki."

L blinked owlishly at the offering and, after carefully inspecting it, gently picked the parchment up with only his thumb and forefinger.

"Has Light-Kun checked to ensure this number is accurate?"

There was a snicker.

"I'm not stupid, Ryuzaki. I know that if you found out I called Mikami on my own accord you would only grow to suspect me of being Kira more."  
>" I take that to be a no?"<br>"Yes."

He nodded and looked over the numbers, making certain to remember the digits in case the paper was to suspiciously go missing at one point.

"If this number does turn out to belong to Mikami then I think it would be best for Light-Kun to call him."  
>"Call him?"<p>

In all honestly that was what Light had thought as well, although he knew better than to suggest it himself. Heaven knows what hell L would put him through if he did.

"Yes, Light-Kun, call him. If Mikami is in fact the third Kira I am certain that he will want to get close to Kira in order to persuade him to join him in his pursuit of justice and my demise."

"I'm not Kira." Ryuzaki could swear the boy was a broken record with how often he repeated that one sentence.

"Yes, of course you're not, Light-Kun."  
>The detective fought the urge to roll his eyes,<p>

"Mikami wishes to gain your friendship, that much is apparent. In that case I believe it is best for Light-Kun to befriend him."  
>"You want me to be friends with the man who could possibly be Death?"<br>"Yes. I would appreciate it if Light-Kun would stop repeating the obvious."  
>The raven felt a small surge of amusement rush through him as he saw a brown eye twitch in barely concealed annoyance.<p>

"But if I do that you will only suspect me of being Kira again."  
>"I assure Light-Kun that I will not suspect him of being Kira any more than I already do."<p>

For some reason that didn't sound very reassuring.

"Fine. I'll befriend him, but only because it helps with the case." The brunette agreed firmly, "Maybe I can manage to get some information out of him that way."

"Of course."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow…"  
>"Very good, Light-Kun."<br>With that the detective returned to staring at his computer, pretending to continue working until he heard the teen's soft footsteps disappear from the room and down the hall, signifying that the brunette had taken the other's advice and left to retire to his new room.

Once he was certain the other was gone the insomniac ended the staring contest he was unconsciously holding with his monitor in favor of gazing down at the business card now resting beside his keyboard, its sides ruffled and worn.

"Light-Kun certainly is good at attracting the wrong attention…" He mumbled begrudged to himself as he studied the paper once more.

So far the tracking device and microphone the sweet lover had had placed on the suspect's glasses had proven to be useless. Words caught by the miniature recording device were miniscule at best and the tracking device had shown that Mikami had not so much as left the campus all day. At this rate they were not going to be getting anywhere with their case.

_At this rate I have no choice but to allow Light-Kun to befriend Mikami and attempt to pry a confession from the suspect that way…_

After all, it wasn't as though L had any other options. Death already knew his name so it was merely a waiting game for him regardless of whether or not the two Kiras joined forces.

Would he die today? Tomorrow? He had not the slightest idea and it honestly unnerved him more than he would care to admit.

Sure he had accepted the fact that it was highly likely that this would prove to be his last case, however he figured he would at least know when the end was coming when it was to be by Light's hands, but now it was uncertain. He no longer knew when his heart would stop and when this breath would be his last.

But he couldn't let that get to him. It was out of his control.

The only thing he could do was continue his hunt for the third Kira and hope that he managed to catch him before his time ends.

_What precisely is Death planning? He's going about his plans sloppily, not even both bothering to conjure up a fake identity to hide behind like I had originally suspected._

Ryuzaki raised his thumb to his mouth and absentmindedly chewed on the nail,

_He cannot simply be that stupid, can he…? No… I believe he is well aware of just what it is he is doing, I just cannot be certain what that is…_

L was once again stuck with the Kira case and he wanted nothing more than to kick something.

DNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDN

Days passed and they were met with no further information, leading the detective even deeper in his self-proclaimed depression. There were no further clues that pointed Mikami into the direction of being the third Kira and the classes he was attending with Light only seemed to become more and more boring as the days progressed.

It was already Thursday, two days until the day that Mikami and Light had planned on meeting up to study together and L was becoming anxious. He absolutely despised waiting and the whole investigation seemed more and more like a cold case as time went on.

"Ryuzaki."

The raven, who had taken to crouching backwards in his office chair with his chin resting on the headrest, turned slightly to look at the teen who seemed to be watching him closely.

"Yes, Light-Kun?"

"Are you alright?"

"No, I am not."

"It's only two days until my meeting with Mikami." The honors student reminded, crossing his legs as he turned his chair to face the oddly positioned older man, "Don't act so down."

"I suppose Light-Kun is correct…"  
>The brunette nodded slightly and opened his mouth, about to add to the conversation when the sound of his phone vibrating for what he counted to be the twentieth time in the last hour cut him off, causing his attention to divert from the man to the annoying device.<p>

"I thought I told Light-Kun to turn his phone off. I absolutely despise when phones go off in the middle of my conversation."  
>"Yeah, Sorry…"<p>

"Who is texting Light-Kun so persistently? I was aware he was popular, but I believe that to be too much even for him…"  
>The teen sighed warily and reached over for his phone, not surprised in the least when a familiar name lit up his screen.<p>

"It's Misa…" He admitted, his thumbs hovering over the keypad of his phone as he begrudged read what she had to say, "She's not happy that she hasn't been able to see me lately..."

_Misa: Lightttt!_

_Misa: Misa misses her Light!_

_Misa: Can Misa Misa see her Light? Please!_

_Misa: Why isn't Light answering? Is the big mean pervert not letting Misa's Light text her?!_

_Misa: Is it, isn't it?! Don't worry, Misa won't let the mean Ryuzaki keep Misa from her soul mate!_

Light barely managed to stifle a groan as he read the last few texts he received from the blonde. She really was too much sometimes…

"She certainly seems insistent on contacting Light-Kun…"  
>The brunette nearly jumped at the proximity of the voice, noting how it sounded to be only centimeters from his ear rather than a few feet like normal.<p>

Turning slightly, the teen's suspicions were confirmed when he found the detective now leaning over his chair, his breath warm against the former killer's ear.

L really didn't understand the concept of personal space.

"Yeah… She just misses me, I guess… Maybe I should see her again to get her to stop fussing so much."  
><em>That and I need to talk to her about the Death note…<em>

So far Light had not seen the blonde since he received his lost memories and as such had not had the opportunity to inform Misa of his change of plans.

He still was uncertain as to whether or not what he was doing was really right, however he also knew that he could not very well give everything up now. He had come too far to merely give up, especially when he was so close to creating the perfect world he had always imagined.

But now he also couldn't even think of the idea of writing down another name in that dreadfully wonderful notebook. His new world was at the tips of his fingers, yet still too far to grasp, leaving the brunette at a dead end.

What could he do?  
>First thing was first, he had to talk to Misa about his newfound morals.<p>

"If Light-Kun wishes to see Misa Amane again I will not stop him. He is aware that he is free to pursue a relationship with her, correct?"  
>"Well, I'm not really in the mood for love or really anything else at the moment. I just don't want to hurt her feelings by turning her down again. Besides, even if I do she'd only show up here and demand to see me."<p>

L looked almost disappointed.  
>"In that case I suppose Light-Kun would like to see Misa?"<p>

"Yeah, I think that would be best…"

He really had no choice, especially with the ever present risk that Rem provided. He had to ensure that Misa was kept happy, least he wanted to face the female shinigami's wrath.

Now he just had to heed to her wishes and see her once more, although he would have to ensure that their visitation remained as inconspicuous as possible yet somehow inform the girl of everything he needed to tell her.

The brunette just barely managed to suppress a frustrated groan at that thought. Ryuzaki certainly knew how to make everything difficult for him, however he supposed that that was why he found the man so intriguing and formidable. Had he been easy to outwit like he had originally thought with Lind L. Taylor there would have been no fun and he would have succeeded in disposing of the man months ago.

But then, if he had killed L already, would he have continued on with his tainted ideals? Would he have allowed himself to spire so far into his own narcissism that he would have become physcotic?

He genuinely hoped not, if not for the sake of the taskforce and detective than for himself.

Finally opting to write a swift text to the persistent blonde, the former Kira sent the brief message before shutting off his phone, no longer able to bear the annoying vibration without obliging the urge to throw it against the nearest wall.

He now understood why the raven would always insist they power down their devices prior to entering the taskforce headquarters; it made for a significant reduction of headaches and stress.

"What did Light-Kun say?"

The honors student barely cast the black haired man a sideways glance before turning back to his work,

"You sure do ask a lot of personal questions, Ryuzaki."  
>The detective merely stared back at the younger man in return, not denying nor confirming his words.<p>

"I just told her that I missed her and would tell her whenever I was free so that we could see one another again."  
>The message had contained a small lie, that being that he claimed to have missed seeing the loud girl, but he knew that it was for the best. If she thought that her 'beloved' Light was looking forward to seeing her once more it would make her all the more agreeable to abide by his orders and calm her down enough for the time being.<p>

Honestly, girls really were too much sometimes. The brunette couldn't help but consider the idea of switching any future girlfriends with a cat. At least they were more independent and didn't need constant supervision or attention.

"And when does Light-Kun plan on visiting Misa Amane?"

"I don't know, Ryuzaki." The teen sighed, "I can't Saturday because I am already spending the day with Mikami and the rest of this week is full of classes. I really just don't have the time to entertain her now."  
>"Then why does Light-Kun not just tell her that?"<p>

"Because it's just not that simple, Ryuzaki."

"How so?"

Giving up on the project he was supposed to be working on because of the black haired man's insistence on asking questions, Light turned his full attention on the watching insomniac, wondering just how little the man actually knew about relationships and the female population.

"I can't just tell her that I don't like her like that; it'd be too rude. It's obvious that she really likes me and I don't want to hurt her by telling her straight out that I'm not interested in pursuing any relationship with her further than being friends. Girls are sensitive, Ryuzaki, and you have to treat them as such."

_And apparently female shinigamis aren't any different…_

L nodded slightly at his friend's words, absentmindedly biting at his thumb as he took in what the other was telling him,

"Yes, from what I have gathered women are interesting creatures, although I am confused. Is their main goal not to just have fun?"

Light blinked owlishly at the man, not exactly following what he was going on about.

"What are you talking about, Ryuzaki?"  
>"Well, from the research I have gathered on the computer I have concluded that girls 'just want to have fun' and their best friends are diamonds… Is that not right?"<p>

Brown eyes stared blankly at the eccentric detective for several moments before a smile tugged on the teen's face, amused laughter following shortly after.

"Ryuzaki!" Light chuckled, shaking his head, "Where on earth did you hear that? You really don't know much about girls, do you?"

"No…"  
>Light snickered and smirked, resting his chin on the palm of his hand as he leaned on his elbow,<p>

"Haven't you ever spoken to a girl before?"

The insomniac looked indignant,

"Of course I have, Light-Kun, in fact I have spoken to many female detectives."

"Detectives? So that means that you have only spoken to them over the computer, right?"

"That is correct."  
>"So you have never spoken to a girl in person? ...And no, Wedy doesn't count because she's employed by you and neither does Misa because she was just a suspect." He quickly added the last part on as he noticed the other opening his mouth, only to shut it once more at the added comment.<p>

The brunette took that as a yes.

"You really don't know anything about the outside world or its people."

"That is true, but I do not see why my lack of communication with females is worthy of surprise. I will have Light-Kun know that I choose not to be around them."

"And why is that, Ryuzaki? Don't you ever want to settle down and have kids one day?"  
><em>If he even lives that long…<em>

"I cannot say I have given the idea much thought." The raven dismissed, wiggling in the chair to turn it so that it was facing towards his computer, his backwards position in the chair not changing, "But I do not find the idea appealing to begin with."

"You can't just live alone for the rest of your life."  
>"I am not alone, I have Watari."<br>"For now you do, but he won't live forever."

"Is Light-Kun attempting to imply that Watari will die soon? Perhaps by the hands of Kira?"  
>The honors student made a face,<p>

"Of course not. I'm just saying that Watari is getting older and he can't live forever. Eventually you will have to start taking care of yourself."

"Now Light-Kun is beginning to sound like Watari…" L grumbled, a small pout taking over his face as he fingered the leather on the back of the chair, "I understand what Light-Kun is attempting to say, but I do not want a wife to look after me…"

"Whatever you say, Ryuzaki." The former Kira rolled his eyes, "You'll just live like a hermit forever then."  
>"Perhaps… But I must admit that I do not find the idea of having a male partner around to be repulsive…"<p>

The teen blinked at him, attempting to fathom just what it was those words were insinuating…

"You wouldn't mind having another male around?" He let out a soft, nervous laugh, "You might want to watch how you phrase some of your sentences, L, because that made it sound like you were saying you were gay."  
>But that was impossible, wasn't it? The obviously asexual insomniac couldn't be gay… Could he?<p>

"I believe that is precisely what I wished to say, Light-Kun." Ryuzaki stated nonchalantly, his black eyes flickering over to the now shocked boy, "I find it much more pleasant and comforting to be in the presence of fellow men than women."

"But that could easily be because you have never experienced being around women. Who knows, maybe you just don't know what you are missing."  
>"Maybe… But, from our dates with Misa I concluded that I found interaction with females to not be as interesting as the ones I had with males, Light-Kun especially."<p>

"Then that just means that you prefer being around intelligent people. If that's the case than that doesn't mean you're gay."

_After all, that is the same as my own preferences, but the difference is I'm not gay… I mean, I just like being around others who can challenge me… People like Ryuzaki…_

The brunette frowned slightly at that thought, considering it for a moment.

Here he was, attempting to give the raven relationship advice, when he himself had never even been in a real relationship. Sure he had gone out with Yuri to an amusement park on what she no doubt perceived to be a date, but in all actuality it was strictly business. There was never any emotion to any of this supposedly romantic outings, not even with Misa. Instead it was pure manipulation on his part. He had never met a girl in which he found attractive and, up until that moment, it had never bothered him.

He had always just assumed that he hadn't found the right girl yet, but now he wasn't so sure.

"Is Light-Kun uncomfortable with me being gay?"

Ryuzaki tilted his head to the side curiously, staring unfalteringly at the neutral looking brunette.

"Well, no, I guess not… Whatever makes you happy, Ryuzaki…"

"Very good."

Seemingly pleased with the response, the detective climbed out of his chair and shuffled his way into the kitchen, no doubt in search of yet another sweet, leaving Light to stare listlessly after him, his classwork all but forgotten.

_I swear this guy is insane…_

Missing the sly grin appearing on the raven's face as he left, L eagerly took to searching through the kitchen pantries, finding his conversation with the honors student to be nothing short of amusing.

_Light-Kun is too easy to tease… I had never really considered the option before, but now I believe that there is a twelve percent chance that Light-Kun is gay as well, that is if the way he reacted was any clue…_

"This game just got all the more interesting…" He happily muttered to himself as he took a victory bite of his fresh piece of cake, "Let's Play, Light-Kun."

**NGNGNGNGNGNGNGNGNGNGNGNGNG**

**Woohh Update ^.^**

**Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing, and to everyone who has questions as to why the characters are acting as they are (in this case why Mikami is doing what he is) don't worry, everything that the characters are doing have a reasoning behind them, I just can't tell you yet because it would spoil events later on in the story. :P Sorry, but you'll just have to wait and try to come up with your own guess; I love reading what you guys think is happening/will happen.**

**Until next time!  
>Coming up in the Next Chapter:<strong>

**Light entertains Mikami with an outing in order to get a better read of the man and is surprised by what he finds. Meanwhile L decides to make a game out of discovering Light's sexual orientation. **


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